The Seal of Time and the Triforce of Eternity
by TriChronos
Summary: After the events of OoT. Link has been sent back into the past to live out his "lost time", but something isn't right. What evil threatens Hyrule now? Takes a brief look at MM, but mostly skips it.
1. The Beginning

Chapter 1

The Beginning

_Cold_…

Link thought as he peered out the window at the sprawling land of Hyrule before him.

_It's cold outside, but…it's not the weather. Hmm, something's not right. I…I can't shake this feeling that something's just…off._

Link took another look at the rolling hills that made up Hyrule Field. He thought back to the time when he became the hero of legend, the one that the people turned to, the Hero of Time. He had saved an entire civilization from the brink of destruction, yet absolutely no one seemed to know anything about it. It was like none of it had ever happened.

_Was that what Zelda meant when she told me to go back? Did she really erase everything that happened? It's as if nothing I did mattered at all. I don't know why I'm thinking about this now, I mean, it's been almost seven years since then and there's been no hint of Ganondorf. Maybe it was all just a dream. I mean, I don't even have anything left to prove what happened. I don't have the Master Sword or the Ocarina of Time, Navi's gone, and there's no sign that I still control the Triforce of Courage. Maybe I never did._

His words seemed to roll from his tongue with a taste like that of sour grapes. Had he really just questioned something he knew to be true?

His face contorted into a sort of frown as he weighed the validity of his own memories.

_Can I even believe myself anymore? _

Link stood up from his bed near the window, pulled on his green tunic and hat, his gauntlets, boots and shield and moved towards the end of his bed. He no longer possessed the Blade of Evil's Bane or the Kokiri Sword. Both, to his knowledge, were returned to their rightful resting places. The Kokiri Sword to the Kokiri Forest and the Master Sword to the Temple of Time, but what did that leave him?

Link carried no weapons, not since his traipse through time so many years earlier. He had no need to brandish a sword anymore and from a more personal perspective, no sword felt right in his hands.

"I better get to Lon Lon Ranch, they probably need me today."

Link walked toward the door when something struck him. His face tightened and his brow began to gleam with sweat. Something seemed to fall over him like a mist or veil. He was frozen in place, trying to form resolve against this feeling.

He swallowed hard and shook his head.

"It can't be. It just can't be and I know that. I…I have to stop looking for these kinds of things. This isn't…it can't be…there's no way that this could even be remotely possible. No…no it's…it's not…"

Link shook his head more forcefully this time, as if to cleanse his body of what he had just felt. He turned the doorknob and walked out of the house towards Lon Lon Ranch, his mind continually stuck upon the feelings he had just experienced. Even as he entered the ranch, his head was still clouded with uneasy thoughts, so much so that even the oblivious Talon noticed.

"Link, me boy," yelled Talon at the top of his lungs, "what's wrong? You look like you just woke up from under a goron."

"Hm, what's that?"

"I said that you look a little disheveled. What's the matter Link, you don't seem like yerself. I can't have ya cleanin the stalls like this. I only pay ya a few rupees a week. If you get whacked by a horse cause of your foggy brain, you won't have nearly enough money to fix yerself."

"Its okay daddy, Link's probably just thinkin up one of his crazy stories again, ain't that right Link?"

Just that short sentence was enough to snap Link back into reality. Malon had come from inside the barn and overheard what Talon had been saying.

Link looked over at Malon and was glad that he had some excuse other than just his own feelings getting in his way. Although it did make him cringe a little every time Malon referred to his travels through time as "crazy stories." Though, he had no reason to complain about something so trivial. It was her, after all, that had done him so many favors. She was the one who had gotten him the job he was now readying himself for, and the one who had saved his life.


	2. Pain of a Hero

**Author's Notice**: The next update will include both chapters 3 and 4. This is due to the incredibly short length of chapter three. more details will be included with the next update.

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Chapter 2

Pain of a Hero

It was about two years after the original incident with Ganondorf. Link had returned to his appropriate time and Ganondorf had been sealed within the Sacred Realm by the sages. Naturally, Link returned to the Kokiri Forest, after his small adventure in Termina, and resumed life as usual. However, it just wasn't the same. Saria had gone to protect the Sacred Realm as a sage, leaving Link hopelessly alone with the rest of the kokiri. What's more was the fact that no one even seemed to remember that Saria existed. Without Saria, for the first time, Link truly felt alone, like no one cared that he was ever around. Though, the way he was feeling, it didn't matter if he did or not.

Link tried to return to Zelda and make her remember what had happened. His attempts, however, were futile. He was never even able to see her. The guards thwarted every one of his attempts to even enter the castle grounds. Somehow Ganondorf had never existed either. He tried to warn the guards of him, yet they knew nothing of this Gerudo king named Ganondorf.

The only being left that Link knew for a fact would remember anything about his past adventures was Navi. However she had flown off into the woods. Knowing he had to go find her, he ventured back to the castle to request use of the Ocarina of Time. He knew it might be something that he would help him. Of course, not knowing who he was, the guards did not trust him to even enter the castle. He knew, however, that he would need it, so he snuck into the castle and took it along with a horse he found tied up in one of the royal stables. Having been there before, it wasn't that hard to find his way around the castle. He had even snuck in one time in order to meet the princess in the first place.

In the end, he did not find Navi nor did he even traverse the land of Hyrule. Instead he ended up falling into a completely different place and saved the land of Termina. This did not resolve his quest though. Returning the ocarina and the horse to there rightful resting places, Link went back to the Kokiri Forest, utterly defeated.

A year or so passed and, like pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link began to age and grow up. The rest of the Kokiri children became frightened and distant. They began to shun Link and, eventually, forced him out of the Kokiri Forest.

Pushed from the one place he had ever called home, Link wandered the vastness of Hyrule Field, tired, hungry and hopelessly alone. The hunger jabbed at his sides, like small daggers, while the thirst dried his mouth to the likes of a desert. He could barely stand and yet it was the loneliness that truly hurt.

_So many people I've met, people that don't even know I exist anymore, people that only knew me because of the things I did as a hero. I'm not even close to the person I was so long ago. He was a true hero, the Hero of Time. Who am I? I'm no hero; I'm just Link, your everyday Hylian who's going to die as unimpressively and alone as he started._

He started to think about the people that he had met along his original journey. He thought of Impa, Naburoo, the Zora's and the Goron's. He thought about Zelda.

_None of them know me now. None of them care about me anymore. They knew the Hero of Time, whom I no longer am. Why do I think anyone would even care anymore..._

The lack of food and water was starting to get to him. He was near the bank of the Hylian River, yet he lacked the energy to even lift his head to drink.

_Am I going to die here? Here near the bank of a river filled with fresh, clear water that could save my life, yet I lack the strength to drink. No, that's not right, I lack the will to. Just let me die here, without troubling anyone and…without being…troub…le…d…_

As Link lie near the river, collapsed and unconscious, subsisting on the last of his energy, a figure approached him riding a medium sized, reddish brown horse.

"Oh dear me! I think this boy needs some help! Boy, hey boy, are you hurt? What's wrong?"

The girl seemed puzzled by the figure at her feet. She stared at him, not knowing what to do. She had never seen this person before but...she felt as though she had to help him.

"Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice. We have to bring him back to the ranch, quickly."

Heaving Link upon the horse's back, the three of them headed off into the heart of the field, none of them knowing what their chance meeting may one day lead to, or what they would mean to each other.


	3. The Ancient Myth

**Author's Notice:** This chapter is very short. It is mainly a retelling of the creation myth for Hyrule and the making of the Triforce. As such, if you already know it inside and out, there's really no reason you need to read it, though I would appreciate it if you did. In case you were wondering it is important to the storyline. Also, because this chapter is so short, I figured I would also give you chapter four.  
In a side note, there is an event mentioned in this chapter, the Termasian-Hyrus War, that is not mentioned in any of the Zelda games. it is completely fictional and is the basis of another fic I am trying to compose right now. I hope you'll check that out when it's posted as well. Thanks for reading!

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Chapter 3

The Ancient Myth

The land of Hyrule is a place in which many legends reside. It is a place where mysteries are unknown to even the people who live their entire lives in the lands that make it up, secrets sealed away, shrouded in mystery, to remain unknown.

The royal house of Hyrule is the keeper of these many myths and tales. One often passed down within the royal ranks is that of the Triforce, the golden object said to possess powers beyond the wielder's wildest dreams.

Long ago, in a time before swords and steel, much before the Great Termasian-Hyrus War, and before the Seal of Time was made, the universe was a barren void. In this void there existed three golden goddesses with powers untold. These goddesses stared at the blank slate of the expanse and began to unleash their powers.

Din, the goddess of fiery red power, created the clay and rock that became the physical earth.

Nayru, the goddess of blue wisdom, created the rolling green hills and the physical laws of the world.

Farrore, the goddess of green courage, created the life that would come to live upon the land.

The three goddesses, working together, created everything that is now the world as it is known today. Every rock that is climbed, every grass that is cut and every breath that is taken is a direct result of the will of the three great goddesses, a culmination of their combined strength.

When their job had finally been finished and they had completed the task they had set for themselves, the three golden goddesses rose unto the heavens and broke through a dimensional rift into a separate world, known today as the Sacred Realm.

Here, in this new world, devoid of creation, the goddesses rested and allowed their powers to meld together into the golden emblem, the Triforce, an item that houses an ultimate power.

Sealing off the realm in which they slept with a mighty seal, with which to keep out those who would wish to use the Triforce for evil, the goddesses slept at last; their power finally dormant.

This is the story that has been forever told within the land of Hyrule. This is the tale that has always been believed…


	4. On the Verge of Death

Chapter 4

On the Verge of Death

Dragging the boy off of her horse's back, Malon ran into the main house looking for her father.

"Pa! Pa, where are you? I need your help!"

Unable to find her father, Malon became furious. Every time she needed him, he was always nowhere to be found. It was this sort of thing that had lead to the decline of Lon Lon Ranch as it was now. If it hadn't been for Mr. Ingo, the whole of the ranch probably would have disintegrated by now.

Even so, Malon never really trusted Ingo as much as she would have liked. It's not that he was, himself, untrustworthy. It was just that she always got this strange feeling when she was around him, as if something wasn't right. He always seemed to radiate an unlikable aura around her. Her father, on the other hand, placed all of his trust into this strange, angry man. What he saw in him, she wasn't sure. He was a good worker, but he always seemed like he was plotting something.

No matter how many times Malon went to her father with her concerns it never seemed to do her any good, either. Her father would always tell her that she was being overly cautious and that Ingo was a good man who only wanted the ranch to be the best it could be. It had always struck her as strange, though, that this random man would want the ranch to be great, while her father, the owner, would rather sleep on the floor all day and couldn't care less about doing work for the ranch.

At this point, however, she couldn't let any of that weigh her mind down. The only thing she knew was that there was a nameless boy dying next to her favorite horse just outside the door and her father, who just might be able to help, was nowhere to be found.

_Arg! Typical…right when I need him…he's probably sleeping in the cucco room right now, that lazy old man…_

At that very moment Talon, her father, was doing just as his daughter had predicted. Asleep in the barn with his large group of Cucco's and his three prized "special" cucco's, Talon was roused only by the many stamping, clawed feet now jammed upon his forehead.

"Gar…what in tarnation?! Oh, I guess it's feedin time, is it? Alright, alright you sacks of feathers; give me a minuet to find some damn feed fer y'all."

As Talon muscled his way through the mass of cucco's, the door to the barn flew open and in stepped Malon, her face red with anger and desperation. She ran up to her father and slapped him in the back of the head.

"What in…Malon, why the hell did you just do that? How dare you slap your father like…"

"Pa, that doesn't matter right now! I found a boy out in the field by the river and I'm afraid he's on the verge of death! You've got to do somethin pa, you've just got to!"

Talon looked down into his distraught daughters face, her entire being filled with terror and anguish. This wasn't like Malon at all. Nothing had ever gotten her this riled up as far back as he could remember. Even being kicked point-blank in the stomach by a horse hadn't changed her demeanor in the least. She had barely even winced. For something to do this to her, well, it must have been truly alarming.

"Alright, take me to 'im."

Malon nodded and they ran out the door of the barn leaving only dust and a flock of hungry cucco's in their wake.


	5. A Wish for Death

Chapter 5

A Wish for Death

Talon saw the boy laid out, face up in the dirt next to Epona. He couldn't believe how thin he looked. Surely, this boy hadn't eaten in days. It was a wonder that he was still breathing at all.

Talon put his ear to the boy's chest. It was a relief to Talon that the child's heart was still beating and he was still breathing. Clearly this boy couldn't be more than twelve or thirteen, but how did he manage to get in such shape? Did he lose his parents? Maybe he got lost in the field and couldn't find help? Could it be that he wanted to die?

_No, of course not, a child this young couldn't possibly think something like that no matter how old they were. So, what is this boy's story?_

Talon scanned the boy with his eyes once more.

"He must be dehydrated. Malon, go get this boy some water. Quickly, now, I'm not sure how long he's been without it."

Malon stood up and ran towards the middle of the ranch. The only water Lon Lon Ranch really had was from a large metal pump off in a corner of the ranch behind the horse's stables. It wasn't exactly convenient, especially at a time like this, but it was the best that they could do without having to shell out a lot of rupee's for it.

She heaved the handle of the water pump up and down in a futile attempt to make the water appear but, as usual, barely anything dropped into the bucket underneath the spout.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why is it, whenever I need something or someone on this damned ranch I can never get help? DAMN IT!"

She thrust the pump handle toward the ground as hard as she could. Cool, clear water began to flow from the rusty metal pump. Gathering as much as she could strain from the growling metal monster, she ran back to her father with what he had sent her for.

Talon had the boy propped up against one of Epona's legs, who was standing, very patiently, in place. Malon heaved the large bucket of water into her fathers waiting hands and watched as he poured it, very gently, down the boy's throat. He began to cough and sputter, but after only a short while, he started to regain consciousness.

"Oh, thank the goddesses!" Malon yelled.

She looked directly into the face of the now stirring boy. She couldn't help but notice his eyes, such a deep and penetrating shade of blue. He looked up at her and couldn't help but think that he was looking right through her. Now that she thought about it, he didn't look all that normal at all. He dressed strangely, like one of the fairy children of the forest, but he had no fairy. She had always thought that the fairy children couldn't leave the forest. Could it be that he had been living with them? Well, wherever he was from, he was just about the strangest thing she had ever seen.

The boy lifted his head slowly and looked directly into her eyes.

"Are you the reason that I'm still alive? If you are, I should strike you down where you stand!" growled the boy, his now furious red face in perfect contrast with his green tunic and hat.

"What?! How dare you say that to someone you just met! Someone who saved your life, no less…" Malon shot back.

It was just as her father had feared. He really was letting himself die out there. Malon knew it now, too. Why else would someone right next to a river be dying of dehydration? The question on both of their minds now, though, was why?

"You should have left me out there to die…" the boy's voice seemed to trail off in thought. "No one wants me…I don't even want me. I don't belong here, I don't belong anywhere."

Malon felt a twinge of guilt pulling at her heart for having snapped at him like she did. His pain was obviously as deep as a chasm. It was something she knew she may never fully understand, even if she were to know him the rest of her life. Still, how could he throw his life away like that? She truly did not understand.

"Why did you save me?" asked the boy in a very blank voice. "You didn't know me, you have nothing to gain from my survival, there's nothing in it for you. So why would you…"

The boy's thoughts seemed to trail off again. He stared at his savior. He felt as though he should be angry, but for what? Someone had just shown a large amount of compassion for him, someone who didn't even seem to know him, and _he_ was mad. No, he wasn't mad. Maybe, disappointed would be a better way to describe it. He was ready to die and accept it, but he had been given another chance, a chance that he should gladly take.

"I'm…I'm sorry…I…I just…"

He tried to stammer out an apology, but nothing he said could really excuse his earlier actions. At least, that's what he told himself. He drew himself upon his feet and stood staring at the ground directly in front of Malon.

"Than…thank you for…for saving my life…I…I…"

The boy just didn't seem to be able to form words. His sentences began to fall apart like a cracking bridges as soon as he uttered them.

Malon simply looked at the dejected child in front of her.

_He really isn't that bad of a person. He was confused and upset. Something terrible must have happened to him…It's probably not even something that he'll ever tell me about. I may never even see him again after this very moment. He could just get up and run away…_

She looked at him and smiled slightly.

"It's alright, you don't have to apologize. Pain is never easy to deal with. Yet it's something that always seems to unite us together as people. It's something that is universal and something that everyone experiences. I can't say I know how you feel, but in a way, I do."

After her mother had died, that was what her father had told her. Somehow, it had gotten her through so much pain and despair. It seemed like the right time to pass it on. Somehow, maybe these words could help him as they did for her.

"You know," Talon said slowly, eyeing the two of them, "I don't believe we caught your name, son."

"My name…" he began, but stopped for a moment to ponder the two of them.

Well, the man was Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch, a rather tall, kind of burly, man wearing overalls and a red shirt. He had a very large nose and an even bigger mustache to go along with it. The top of his head was bald, but his hair was long around the sides and in the back where it was pulled into a ponytail. The girl, obviously Malon, was just slightly shorter than he was himself. She was the same age as he. She had beautifully long red-orange hair, a rather slim body, but what really stunned him were her eyes. They were of one of the most beautiful shades of blue he had ever seen. They looked just as he had remembered they did.

_Hm, just as kind as ever, I see._

"My name is Link. Thank you for helping me. If there is any way that I could repay this debt…" said Link, dropping to one knee as if to bow before a king.

"Oh my, you don't have to get so formal about it." said Malon, watching him with a kind of amusement and blushing slightly.

"It just seemed like the right thing to do. I couldn't leave a person out there to die in that dreadful field. Oh, but where are my manners, come on inside. I bet you're a might hungry, aren't ya?"

"Famished!" said Link with a rather wide smile, to which Malon flashed an even bigger one.

"Then come right in! What kind of a ranch would we be if we didn't try to cater to a guest?" she said as they walked through the door to the main house, leaving Talon to ponder aimlessly in their wake.

_I feel like I've met that boy somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on it. Hmmm…I guess it doesn't really matter anyway 'cause it looks like Malon's taken a real shine to 'em. _

Talon looked up at the wide blue sky that expanded before him and sighed.

_Hmm…I wonder if he'd make a good son-in-law…_

**Author's note: **Hello all! Thanks for reading so far. I just want to make a quick note that there was a small joke at the in this chapter for the die hard Ocacrina of Time fan's. If you did catch it, I hope you enjoyed it.


	6. Fated Letter

**Author's Note:** Hello all! Thank you for your continued veiwing of my fan fic! I would like to metion that this chapter contains mention of an original character that has not been disscussed in the Zelda universe before.  
**Larathet **is mentioned in this chapter but will not come into play for some time. This character is completely original (if you search for her in the Zelda archives you willl not find her). This character and all other original characters from this fic belong to me. All other characters from the Zelda universe are the property of Nintendo.  
However, if you would like to use any of my original characters, that would be fine. Just tell me and give me some credit. Thanks for reading my ramblings and on with chapter!

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**Chapter 6**

**Fated Letter**

It had been quite a while since Malon had found Link out in Hyrule Field. Since Link had had no family or a place to stay at that time, Talon offered for him to stay at the ranch. It wasn't, however, a free ride.

As per their agreement, Link would work for the ranch and receive payment for the work that he did. In turn, Link would pay a small fee for his living space and food which were being provided for him at the ranch. Even paying for his own room and board, Link still had money he could save up and in only two or so years, bought a small house in Hyrule Field close to the ranch itself.

Even though he no longer lived at the ranch, he still worked there for quite a while until becoming a Hyrulian mail runner. His new trade required him to travel all over the lands of Hyrule, from the arid sand wastes of the Gerudo Desert, to the peak of Death Mountain. He even ran letters for the Hyrulian royal family. That was when he saw her.

After so much time had passed, he couldn't believe he had almost forgotten about her. She was just as he had remembered from that one final day when they had stood together among the wreckage of Ganondorf's castle…

Princess Zelda now stood before him as she had so long ago. It seemed like an eternity to Link and yet, here they both were again, employer to employee once more, as it were. This time, however, it was a letter he was to deliver, not the land of Hyrule.

He was to take a letter to Larathet, the leader of a tribe of skull people hidden away within the Lost Woods. Since Link was the only one to volunteer, he was given the unwanted task.

Link was summoned to the Hyrule Castle courtyard where he met with Zelda personally. It was as if time was replaying itself. This was the exact place where he had first met her, first taken up his quest to save Hyrule, and got his first glimpse of the evil Gerudo king, Ganondorf. Was this all coincidence? It didn't really matter at present; all he had to do was deliver this letter.

"Here you are, mail runner. Make sure it gets directly to Larathet and no one else. I wish you luck on your journey through the forest. May the goddesses serve and protect you." Zelda said as she looked at Link.

She was just as beautiful as he now remembered, her long golden hair trailing behind her, while her beautiful blue eyes seemed to stare right through him. She was slightly shorter than he, thin, but curved, with a smile that could brighten even the Temple of Shadow, however, she wasn't smiling now. How long had it been since he last laid his eyes upon her?

He tried to start a conversation with her, but it was no use. She knew nothing of him, or what they had once meant to each other. He had saved her life, her land, her people, yet she showed only the smallest of interest in him now. He wished he could make her remember, but that, he knew, was not possible. Everything they had done, everything that meant so much to the two of them, the good they accomplished, was gone in an instant. Ganondorf didn't even exist anymore; he was locked inside the Sacred Realm, never to return.

This was exactly the type of thing that had made him so bitter. He remembered everything, no one remembered anything.


	7. The Sadness of a Princess

**Author's Note:** Hello all! Thanks for your continued reading! Today is 7/28/08 and I have something special for you all...  
**_a week long update!_**  
I am really ahead of schedule this week and have finally been able to overcome my writer's block.  
**_What does that mean for you?  
_**It means that I will be updating with new (they're kind of short too) chapter's on today, Wednesday and Friday of this week. That way you get all of the suspense from the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, without all of the wait and aggrivation of a traditional chapter release. Please enjoy chapter 7 and 8 with chapter 9 on Wednesday and 10 on Friday!

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Chapter 7

The Sadness of a Princess

After staring at Zelda for a few minutes, she finally turned and looked at him.

"What is it that you hope to gain by staring? I am a princess, yet am I so awe inspiring that it keeps you from doing your duty to the royal family, to the land of Hyrule? Do you understand how important that letter is? That is the one thing that could save this land from falling into the perils of war. The people of this land…they don't deserve that…"

She looked down at the ground with an expression of sadness drawn on her face. She was still as compassionate and kind as he remembered.

"I'm sorry princess." Link said, forcing his eyes to avert to the ground. "I had no right to stare like that."

Zelda seemed almost taken aback by Link's response. She was a princess, so she always had people apologizing to her for things, but he…he seemed so sincere. It was like he actually meant it, not that he was trying to patch up something he said to gain redemption from an angry member of royalty. She was immediately ashamed for the way she had talked to him.

"No, I'm sorry." she said quietly "This whole situation with the skull people has really taken a toll on my nerves. My father says that I need to learn how to rule because I will one day be the queen, but it doesn't change the fact that the lives of the people are in my hands and if I make the wrong decision…"

She stopped her sentence short. Why was she telling this to a simple mail runner? What was she doing? She shouldn't be divulging Hyrulian secrets to this person and yet…he seemed so trusting. What was it about him that let her drop her guard so much?

"I apologize…I don't think I should be telling you any of this. It's…it's none of your concern." She said, trying to sound authoritative but, for some reason, she just couldn't.

She had to send him away before she said anything truly important. She may not be a queen, but she knew well enough that all information had a price…even of the most noble of people.

"Princess I…"

She looked back at him, but he knew she couldn't remember.

"I'll take my leave now…"

Feeling defeated, Link turned his back on the princess, walked out of the courtyard, out of the castle and onto Hyrule Field.


	8. A Bitter Return

**Author's Note**: sorry about all of the crazy chapter releases everyone. I realized that chapter seven really wasn't much of a chapter and, well, neither was chapter eight. In light of this, I am releasing both of them today.  
I hope you can forgive all the weird releases. I will still be releasing 9 on wednesday and 10 on friday. I hope you will continue reading!

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Chapter 8

A Bitter Return

Link's trek back through Kokiri Forest was not something that he was looking forward too. It had been quite some time since he had been tossed out of the one place he called home.

He walked toward the bridge that lead toward the entrance to the forest. His mind began to sway back and forth, falling over the tumult of emotions that had come rushing back. He knew he shouldn't be angry at the Kokiri, they just didn't understand him. What had really surprised Link, though, was that the Great Deku Tree had not tried to stop them. This was something that he could not understand, could not forget.

His mind was still swirling around in the sea of his emotions, so much so that he hadn't realized that he had just entered the woods. He was immediately stopped by the entrance guard, a small, blonde boy dressed in a familiar green tunic and hat with a fairy floating around his head.

"Halt…who goes there?" He said as Link stepped through the entrance to the forest. "Oh, it's you…the False One."

The False One, the name the Kokiri had given him before he was forced out. It basically meant that he was a fake, a Hylian masquerading as a Kokiri, something the Kokiri didn't seem to have a taste for.

"What're you doin here?" he asked in a very curt manner.

Link looked at him with utter disgust. It had been years since they had thrown him out and yet they still held this unnecessary grudge against him. It made him sick beyond compare. To think that these forest creatures used to be his friends, to think of Saria…

"Hey, listen! I asked you what you were doin here. You can either tell me and then leave or just skip the middle man and leave right now. It's your choice, False One."

"I'm here to get into the Lost Woods. I have business with a member of a group of skull people. Its business of the royal family and it's kind of important so…"

Link tried to slip by, but the boy forced him back out.

"I don't care who it's for! You're not welcome in this forest anymore! You never really were, ya non-fairy! Leave right now…"

"I can't do that…I need to get into the Lost Woods, but if you won't let me in then I guess…"

Link ran back onto the bridge, followed closely by the small blonde haired boy. He looked over the side, saluted the boy and jumped to the forest below.

"Hey! You can't go in there! You're…you're not allowed to go in there! Hey, I told you to stop! STOP!"

The boy tried to halt Link, but it was too late. He had already jumped onto the grass below and disappeared within the dark wood.


	9. A Familiar Place

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! Again, thanks for the continued support.  
I know that the last two chapters haven't exactly been all that great, but I'm pretty sure that this one will be better. I will still be releasing on friday, so keep a look out for that and enjoy chapter 9!

* * *

Chapter 9

A Familiar Place

Link walked aimlessly through the dark wooded area, trying to discern where he was. It had been so long since he had actually traipsed around the inside of the woods, that he was actually lost. It also didn't help that Zelda hadn't given him any directions as to where he was supposed to be going. All he was doing was wandering blindly, trying to find this person named Larathet. Yet it seemed like something was calling to him, a whisper on the wind.

Link continued on through the dark and confusing forest. It was as if he were walking through a maze. Link began to think back to the times he used to chase after Saria here. He didn't understand it, but it seemed so much darker now than it had back then. It was cold…not actually cold, but the air seemed to radiate with unhappiness. Maybe it was the fact that no matter what he did, he would never see Saria again.

With her duty as a sage, Saria was stuck guarding the Sacred Realm. In truth, it had been almost thirteen years since he had actually been near her. To be fair, for about seven of those his soul had been frozen in time, but it still felt like an eternity to him. He cared so much about her.

It seemed like he had been walking for ages when Link finally came to a clearing in the vast forest. It seemed so familiar to him somehow.

He looked around at the one single tree that stood next to a set of broken stairs. He walked forward a little more to a small stump that was situated away from everything else. Now he remembered! This was the place he and Saria would always go to. She always called it her "secret place" because it was so hard to find. He even got lost looking for it a few times and only the sound of her music could lead him here.

He still had no idea how he had gotten to this one spot out of all the wandering he had done. It felt as though he had been drawn to this place, but how and by what? He didn't understand it. It was like his feet had moved of their own free will. Then again, maybe it was only his subconscious desire to be near Saria again.

He glanced around the dark, spacious area and something caught his eye. He walked up to the stump and picked up a small ocarina. His heart began to burn. This was the ocarina she had given him so long ago, the one that was a twin to the ocarina Saria held. She had always said that, no matter where they both were, if he were to play it, they could hear one another. What was it doing in a place like this? He thought he had lost it somewhere along his journey, so how could it be here? Had this been what was calling out to him? Was this the will of Saria?

Link brought the tip of the ocarina to his lips and began to play it. It had been so long since he had heard that bright melody that Saria would always play, yet it seemed to flow from his lungs as if it were continually being played within his very soul. He continued the song over and over for what seemed like an eternity, yet time was standing still.

He began to remember her face, her beautiful emerald colored hair, piercing blue eyes and a smile that was brighter than the sun. He wanted to stop, wanted to forget the pain of missing her, yet his desire to see her, to hear her, drove him onward, into the arms of the music he was playing.

Link suddenly stopped playing the small ocarina. Doing this was pointless. No matter what he did, there was no way he would ever see her again. She was a sage. Her duty was to protect the Sacred Realm from evil and, with Ganondorf on the inside of it; her duty was even more pressing. Still, he couldn't help wondering how this little ocarina had found its way to this spot. No one really even knew about this place let alone how to get here through the maze. Who would go through all the trouble to bring this here?

The wind began to whip around him. It sounded almost like it was whispering to him.

"Li…nk…Lin…k…"

It was somewhat unnerving to Link and yet he felt at peace with the sound. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the voice seemed so familiar somehow.

"I've got to go. I've still got this letter to deliver…to…someone…"

Link gazed around the clearing. Something was out there. It was watching him and he knew it. He wasn't sure what it wanted or even what it was, but he knew that it probably wasn't something that would greet him with a handshake and a sandwich.

He started to walk back towards the opening of the clearing. He spun around on his heel and sprinted towards the exit. He was almost to the edge of the clearing when something burst out from the trees of the clearing and landed in front of him, blocking his path.

It was a small creature and, while it, itself, did not seem very deadly; he didn't want to take the chance that he was wrong.

Link looked around for a weapon, but the only one was the large dagger held within the clutch of the creature. He was helpless and, if this thing decided to attack, there would be nothing he could do to save himself.

The creature, with its face lowered to the ground, spoke to Link, a hint of anger in its voice.

"You there, human…I doubt you'll be leaving this forest alive. For the sins your people have committed, I, Larathet, the leader of the skull peoples, will be your end."


	10. To Kill the Messenger

**Author's Note:** This chapter marks the end of the week long udate that I promised you. I hope you all enjoyed all of the chapters that were released today. On that note, I would like to say that the main day for chapter releases will be wednesdays, but you never knkow when I may release a chapter for no reason...just keep your browsers on and, if you want, alert the story. That way you will always know when the next chapter is up for release.  
Also, Larathet, one of my original characters, is used in this chapter. All original characters belong to me while all others belong to Nintendo.  
Now that we have that out of the way and without further ado, here is chapter 10!

* * *

Chapter 10

To Kill the Messenger

Link looked into the glowing red eyes of the small creature.

"Hang on, you're Larathet? I have a letter for you here from the princess..."

Link flashed the small piece of paper toward Larathet, beconing her to take it from him, but it seemed not to faze her at all.

"I care not what you vile creatures have to say to me or the others of my clan. The deaths you brought upon my people will not go without vengeance. You took so many of us without even a single glance of remorse. Even my s…grr...information such as that doesn't matter to an animal as vile as you. Our redemption shall start now and it will begin with you!"

A roar came from the entire surrounding area. The forest began to resound with yelling and cheering. Link began to realize that Larathet was not the only skull creature surrounding him. Hordes of them began to pour out of the woods around him and, in no time at all, he was completely surrounded.

"Please, I'm just a messenger trying to do his job. If you're going to kill me, please just read the letter that I've brought here. You can do me that much and at least let me have the honor of completing my task."

Larathet stared into his eyes for a moment. He could see the hatred burning within them from only the sight of him. What had happened that could have caused such a fiery desire to kill? Moreover, what had Zelda not told him about this transport, about the true nature of this little mission? This was obviously something more intricate than a simple delivery.

Larathet sighed and then flashed Link a small smile.

"Hm, I guess it would only be kind to give you this last request. We don't want to lower ourselves to the level of your evil race. Give me your letter. I shall read it in front of you. When I am finished, you will die."

"That is all that I ask."

If Zelda knew that this would be his reception, surely this letter would be something earth shattering to change the skull people's current mindset. However, if she was only looking for an indication of what would happen should the hylians try to make contact, then a messenger would be a more than acceptable loss. Though, would she really think like that? Would she truly sacrifice his life for a simple analysis? From what she had said to him before he left, Link didn't find that very likely.

Like all of the other skull people, Larathet was short and thin. Link had always been told that skull people were the result of going astray within the Lost Woods, but he had always wondered if they were something more than that. He thought of them, not so much a transformation of a previous race, but an evolution into a new one. They were not monsters created from time spent within these woods; they were just a conversion into a new being from an old version of one. When given the right conditions, maybe all of the peoples of Hyrule had the potential to transform in some way like the skull people do.

Link looked at Larathet and was reminded of the skull kid that he had met in Termina; the skin that looked like wood, the glowing red eyes, the almost beak-like nose. He hadn't seen him in years and wondered if he were still around. He felt bad that he hadn't tried to visit him since he left Termina…he knew how the skull kid felt about being abandoned. This, however, was not the place to think about that at the moment. He had found Larathet and he needed to focus upon her. His life, right now, was within her hands and the grasp of all the skull people that were surrounding him, imprisoning him. There was no time to kick back and ponder anything other than the present situation.

Larathet began to open the folded paper which the letter was written on and the expression upon her face after doing so was enough to confirm Link of his fate.

"You mock our sorrow with this blasphemy!? This paper is blank! There is nothing on this! Your people have nothing to say for their crimes!? Nothing to atone for!? You will be the first to taste our sorrow!"

Larathet drew the hilt of the dagger close to her heart, readying the blade.

"For all of our brethren that have been lost at the hands of your clan, YOUR DEATH SHALL BE THE BEGINING!"

Larathet made a motion to the skull people around the perimeter and, within seconds, they had taken Link by the arms, brought him to his knees, and held his head back to expose the flesh of his neck.

This was it, Zelda had deceived him, he was expendable, he was going to die here.

"DIE YOU SADISTIC MURDERER!"

Larathet held out her dagger and made a mad dash at Link. He held his breath and closed his eyes, readying himself for his imminent demise. Larathet had almost made it to Link when a burst of light emerged right in front of him. Larathet had been thrown to the ground and the guards that had been holding Link had scattered. All of the skull people who had encircling him had suddenly drawn back.

Link couldn't believe what he was seeing. His savior, the one person he had thought would not save him, was standing right in front of him.

"I can't believe it" Link breathed, "It's you…"


	11. In Exchange for Their Lives

**Author's Note:** Hello again everyone! Okay, so after some more thinking and revising, I have decided to go with my first instinct and keep everything as human instead of hylian. I looked at it at the stand point of real life, in this way: Our species is human, but we are broken down further into different races of humans (black, white, asian and so on). This would be the same in the game world (probably). They are all human in species but their races (hylian, gerudo, sheikah) are different, while there are other species (goron and zora) to also interact with. I would still like to get your opinion, so I have created a poll that I have imbedded into my profile that I would like to have you, my readers, answer. I urge you to check it out so I can get a clear idea of what you all think.  
Now, on to something else. I have started a few new projects that are also described on my profile page. The closest to being released is my new "Hero's End" series. I hope to have the first part up by next week, so I hope you will all take a look at that when it is up.  
So, without further ado, please enjoy chapter 11!

* * *

Chapter 11

In Exchange for Their Lives

The light had finally begun to fade and the spots were starting to leave Link's eyes, when his savior came into view. Standing in front of Link, only feet from him, was Princess Zelda. She had not used him after all. She had come to save him.

Zelda and Larathet looked at each other. Their gazes seemed as though they could catch fire at any moment. What was going on here? Link didn't understand any of this. Why did the skull people want to kill the humans? Why did Larathet keep saying that they wanted retribution? Most importantly, how the hell did Zelda get here in the first place? Link could only stare at the strange sight around him and wonder what was really going on.

"You, princess of the murderers, how dare you show your face within these woods. I will see to it that neither you nor that green clad one leaves this place. Prepare for the end."

"Wait, Larathet, listen to me. Members of the skull tribe, hear my words. I did not have anything to do with the massacre of your people, nor did any of my people, for that matter. You must believe me. We humans may have our faults, but we would not bring bloodshed upon you without cause. You must believe me!" Zelda pleaded.

"Lies, all lies! I know that you and your people did this to us, and, for what? Nothing! We have done nothing to you, yet you attacked us for no reason. You didn't even give those that you killed the right of dying in their own blood; you took it for your own bizarre means. Your kind should not be allowed to walk this world any more than you do already."

"Please, you have to hear me. We had nothing to do with the murders that have befallen your tribe. It is not something that we would do." Zelda breathed, wondering if she were right.

Larathet looked into Zelda's eyes, her hatred easily discernable by the princess.

"If you didn't do it, then who, pray tell, did? You would have us believe that our people just dismembered themselves and somehow lost all of their blood without something being the cause? They just keeled over and died for no reason at all? If you are one of the leaders of this weak species, I think you're more likely to be their downfall than we are."

Larathet's words burned in the front of Zelda's brain. It was just like she had said, she was weak. She had sent a common mail runner, no older than she, into the lions den to see if he would come out alive. She had used him as bait. He could have died. Was this the way that all royalty did things, sending innocent others to their death to solve their own problems? It disgusted her, yet she had personally seen to it that it be done. She, herself, had ordered it. She looked away and cringed at the thought of her misdeeds.

Larathet looked at Zelda. What was she doing? To stop in the middle of a live battlefield would be suicide. Surely even this sullen excuse for a princess knew that much. What was she doing just standing there?

"You there, human princess, make your move. Or is it that you truly wish for death? Well, death would be the only honorable way for you to leave this battlefield today. Maybe you have figured that out…"

Zelda stared at the ground beneath her feet, her mind swimming in a haze of depression and self-pity. Larathet was right…her death would fix most of the problems with Hyrule. It was just as the aristocracy had said…it was just as her father had said, she was a poor excuse for a member of the royal lineage. She had no right to the throne. The food shortages that Hyrule was experiencing was because she couldn't make a pact with the Zoras to use the water from their river for their crops. Merchant caravans were being raided by the Gerudo tribe because the Hyrulian militia didn't follow her orders because they didn't respect her. There were so many things that she had done wrong and so many people were suffering for it. Maybe she really had caused this misfortune to the skull people.

"Please…I…I will exchange my life for the protection of my people. You may dispose of me as you wish, but leave my people be, that includes this one," she said as she pointed at Link. "You are to let him go free. You don't have to forgive my people, just leave them be. If you do as I ask, then I shall give of my own blood for their safety. You may kill me as you see fit."

Link looked bewildered. What was she saying? How could she just let herself be killed like that? She was the princess. The people needed her. What kind of hero would he be if he just let her die here like this? He had to help her, but without his weapons, he couldn't do anything. He didn't even know if he could wield a sword anymore, but he knew that he had to do something.

Larathet looked intently at Zelda and a large smile crept across her face.

"Ha…haha…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You crazy fool…maybe you aren't as weak as I thought you were. Well, I guess I shall take you up on your offer. Your life shall act as payment for the atrocities of your people and they, as well as this boy, shall be spared."

She made another motion to the skull people around the perimeter and, this time, they grabbed Zelda's arms and brought her to her knees with a force that bordered on animalistic. The skull people grabbed her hair and pulled her head back to expose the flesh of her neck. This was where Larathet would strike.

Link stood a short way away from Zelda, his hands balled up into fists. His whole body was shaking. He couldn't let this happen to her, he had to do something but he didn't know what. There had to be something, some way to stop this. He was no longer bound by the skull people; he was free to move about. They were intently focused on Zelda, so if he made a move they would never notice…

_Would they?_

Just as he started to think, Larathet made her move. She was now barreling toward Zelda at a frightening clip. Link's mind began to search for some kind of solution, but he had no time to think anymore, he had to act.

Link lunged forward in attempt to stand in Larathet's way, perhaps taking the knife in Zelda's place. Before he knew it, though, he was being thrown to the ground by a crowd of skull people. Everything was flowing in slow motion. He tried to struggle, tried to get free, tried to save her, but there was nothing he could do but lay there and watch as she was killed.

Zelda kneeled obediently at the feet of her captors. This was for the best. Even though she had not done anything to the skull people, her death would ease their pain. This was the only thing that she could truly do right for her country. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her end would save many. This was the right thing to do…

"ZELDAAAAAAA!!" Link yelled at the top of his lungs, but it was no use. She was going to be killed here and there was nothing he could do about it. He would have to watch her die. He would have to lose her…again.

Just as Larathet was about to strike, Link noticed a strange sound coming from above where Zelda was kneeling. It was like rushing wind, like something was falling towards them. He tried to look up to see what it was, but, just as he did, it hit the ground with amazing force. It knocked all of the skull people to the ground, including Larathet, and caused a giant crater right in front of Zelda.

Link wasn't sure what had just happened. His mind was spinning with uncertainty as he stared at the crater. He was trying to fathom what he had just seen, when something began to climb out of it.

Link could only think one thing...

_What…what is that…_


	12. All Her Mistakes

**Author's Note:** Okay everyone, this chapter is (at least by my chapter standards) huge! It's almost twice as long as any of the other chapters that I've posted so far. As such, there are bound to be twice as many mistakes and typos. It took me almost an extra hour to comb through and edit, so please go easy on me when you are critiquing. I'm trying to make the chapters longer and I think it's working.  
There have been a couple of people clamoring for revelations as to the main story and I am here to say: "Don't worry! Everything will come to be revealed in time." Sorry if you're looking for all of them right now because, well, you just arn't going to get them right now...but you will get some of them soon though. I have found that my writing style is like that of Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, etc.), probably because I like his books so much. If you have ever read one of his books, the story seems to progress with the backstory and character introduction first, then a few plot revelations followed by a bunch of other stuff that leads to an ultimate revelation of everything that you would be seeking to know. Now, my story only follows that basic line of syntax, but it does not completely copy it. So just hang on to your pants and keep reading, we'll get to major plot revelations soon!  
A few people have said that when they write their stories, they get writer's block or find that they can't think of anything to write. I have to say, I sometimes feel that way too. The thing that I have found that works when writing a Zelda fic, is to get a copy of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack and just loop it while you're writing. Some of my best ideas I can contribute to doing that, I think. Just an idea if you needed some quick advice.  
Well, I think I've jabbered on long enough. Please enjoy chapter 12!

* * *

Chapter 12

All Her Mistakes

The dust from the crater began to clear and Link could finally see what had caused the massive impact.

"Bu ha ha ha ha! Hoo, I haven't fallen that hard in a long time. Hm, seems like you lot are in a bit of trouble here."

Standing directly in front of Zelda was a very large looking man. He had to be at least six foot eight with very fair skin, short, dark hair and a goatee. He looked so powerfully built that Link believed he could pick up a tree and use it as a toothpick, if he really wanted to. Strapped to his back was a massive sword that, for some reason, seemed so familiar to Link. Who was this man?

"Who are…"

"Who am I, you ask? The names Garithius Talban, but you can call me Garith. However, I think we should save the pleasantries until _after_ we get out of here."

* * *

Zelda looked at Garith from her spot on the ground.

"Garith, was it? Leave now and take him with you." Zelda made a quick motion to indicate Link. "This is a matter that is far too complicated to explain right now, but the only way for it to be resolved is for me to die. LEAVE NOW!"

Zelda's words seemed to cut through the still air like a knife. Her face was stained with tears. She looked at Garith with a sort of command in her eyes.

"Sorry to do this to ya princess, but…" Garith leaned over, picked up the princess and threw her over his shoulder. "I don't think you have much of a choice but to come with me now. It'd be a real shame if the princess of Hyrule were to let herself get killed here. I know of quite a few people who would be more than a little upset, if they found out. Hey you, guy in the green…are you coming or what?"

Garith made a motion, indicating that he wanted Link to follow him. Link, aware that this could be the only way to save Zelda from sacrificing herself, got up and nodded in confirmation to Garith. With that, the two of them headed for the exit of the clearing and into the woods once more.

After they had finally reached the entrance to the Kokiri Forest, they stopped and rested. Zelda, obviously furious at Garith for his previous actions, glared at him with a large amount of disgust in her eyes.

"How dare you." Zelda said.

"How dare I what? How dare I for keeping you from sacrificing your life for a reason that doesn't seem to make sense." Garith growled in a tone that rather surprised Link.

"How dare you keep me from helping my people."

"From helping your people, eh? Well, if I hadn't shown up they wouldn't have been _your_ people anymore, would they have been, princess?"

Zelda shot a glare at Garith, but lowered her eyes back to the ground. He was right.

"Besides, what's the point of giving up your life to stop something that you don't fully understand, huh? You don't even know all of the…"

Garith stopped himself. It was like he was trying to withhold some kind of information.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. The point is you're alive."

Zelda looked suspiciously at Garith. He had almost let something slip and she had to know what it was.

"Wait…what do you mean I don't know? What don't I know? What do you…"

"Stop…" Garith commanded. "it's not important anyway."

Link stared at the large man and then at Zelda. What did they both know that he didn't? Obviously, Zelda knew something about what had just transpired with the skull people but it seemed that Garith knew even more than she did. Who was this guy? Could they even trust him? He had just saved their lives, but did he have his own agenda? Well, they both owed their well being to him now and, if he really did know something, they would have to stay with him until they found out what that something was.

"So who are you anyway?" Link asked. "You just saved our lives and I think we have a right to know who you are."

"So, you want to know who I am, do ya? My name is Garithius Talban. I won't tell ya my age 'cause I don't feel like it, I won't tell ya my height 'cause I don't feel like telling you that either and I won't tell ya my weight 'cause, well, I just don't really feel like it."

Link looked almost exasperated at Garith's remarks. "Well that's a big help…is there anything you _will_ tell us?"

"I'm a roving mercenary-for-hire from a far off land that you've never heard of, so I won't tell you about it. I roam the land taking contracts and helping people who need it…for the right price, that is."

Zelda looked disgusted. "So, is that why you helped us, for some kind of monetary reward?"

"Well…" Garith said with a smile. "I don't think it could really hurt, do you?"

Link gazed at the sword on Garith's back. "Hey…Garith, was it? That sword… can you tell me where you got it?"

Garith glanced around for a moment. It seemed like he was slightly nervous. "Oh…this sword is…um…it's the sword I took from my blade master after I killed him in a duel. I challenged him for the sword, he accepted and he lost. From the story he told me before our battle, it was forged long ago in the fires of Death Mountain by a giant of a goron. They say that he imbued it with the fire of the mountain itself. Fortunately for me, my master restrained himself from using this sword and, instead, challenged me with just a plain, run of the mill blade. That may have been the only way that I was able to win. There's not much more I can really say about it though."

"Hm…I guess it just seemed familiar."

Link looked up at the sky; it was beginning to get dark. He hadn't realized how much time had passed since he had entered the woods. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ocarina. He had almost forgotten about it. He was slightly worried that the incident in the woods had broken it, but it was safe and in one piece. He put the ocarina back in his pocket and stood up.

"It's starting to get dark out. I think we should find somewhere to stay for the night. Come on, I know a place we can go."

Garith nodded and started to walk towards the entrance of Hyrule Field.

* * *

Link walked over to Zelda who was still sitting on the ground.

"You know, you could have died today…you _know_ that right?" Zelda said in a small voice. She didn't even look up at him.

"You could have died and it would have been my fault. You didn't even know what this was about, you hadn't been told anything at all, and yet I sent you like a lamb to the slaughter just to see what would happen. My father told me that I would have to send a "liaison" to gauge the skull peoples "reactions" about the massacre. He had heard about it when a few of the townspeople came back telling stories of how they had been attacked by the skull people. He entrusted me with the task because he thought that it would be a good way to guage my skills as the future monarch of hyrule. I knew If I sent a large group of people, that they would all be at risk. He said that, in that case, I should send only one...less pawns he would lose. All he really wanted to know was if the carrier would return alive. If he did, then the skull people either had a message for us or had put the past events to rest. If the carrier didn't return…"

Zelda shuddered at the thought of Link having been killed. It was such a stupid plan…they needed to have thought it through more. All her father wanted to do was use the people as pawns…he didn't want to help them…none of the royalty really did…

"If I hadn't had one of my mages put that teleportation spell on the letter, I never would have gotten to you in time. If they had just killed you instead of opening the letter first…I truly thought they might..."

"Well, why did you send the letter blank? Wouldn't it have made more sense to invite them to some kind of peace agreement...maybe try to help them come to terms with what had happened?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I thought they were just going to kill you right on the spot...what was written on the letter didn't matter...I would have gotten my answer when you didn't come back...now I'm talking the same way as my father...what have I become? Why did you trust me?"

"I knew you gave me that letter for a reason. I knew there must have been something to it. That's why I trusted you...isn't that enough?"

"When no one else did, why did you have to trust _me_?" Zelda said, her voice cracking slightly.

Tears began to stream down Zelda's face. Link had never seen her so emotional, not even when faced with her own death. Even when she had been captured by Ganondorf she had been completely calm.

"No one else would take the mission…I told all of my best runners to refuse it…I didn't want anyone to attempt contact with the skull people, even though my father said that I had to. I knew it would be too dangerous. I knew you would probably end up dead…and yet I let you go. I should have just gone myself. How could I have lived with myself if I had let an innocent get killed and…and I don't even know you."

Zelda's last words cut Link like a knife. He knew she didn't remember him, but it was still hard for him to hear from her.

"I knew you would be in trouble…my father didn't care…he wouldn't listen to anything I said. All he wanted were results, not resolutions. That's why I had that spell put on the letter, so I could be teleported to where you were the moment it was opened. That way I could try to help you…or die for you if the need arose. You must hate me…I'm so sorry…"

Link looked down at Zelda and realized how tortured she had truly been about the events that had transpired earlier in the day. He looked at her, kneeling on the ground, sobbing for almost hurting someone she didn't even know. This was nothing like the Zelda he had once known. Was it that adventure against Ganondorf that had given her the strength that she once had?

"My father told me once…that there would come a time when my decisions would cost someone their life. He said that that was just something I would have to learn as a member of the royal family. People were expendable, they were like our tools, to be used as we saw fit and then discarded, but…I could never really come to terms with that. I have always tried to do everything in my power to see my people live…even if it meant that I had to die. I'm such a weak princess…"

Zelda buried her head in her arms again and continued to sob. Link could do nothing but stare at her. He was at a complete loss for words. He knew what he could do to comfort the old Zelda, but this…she was nothing like that Zelda at all; the Zelda that he…no…this Zelda was completely different. Even so, he had to do something for her.

"Zelda, I…let me tell you a story. I once knew a girl who thought just like you. Her father told her that a time would come when she may hurt someone, even unintentionally. One day, I had the pleasure to meet this girl and we became friends. She asked me to help her with some kind of journey. She told me that this would be dangerous, but I did it anyway. On this quest I was battered, bruised, beaten, trapped and I almost died, but I never gave up. I did it for her. As we tried to do what was right, we ended up doing something wrong…very wrong. We made a decision that hurt a lot of people and we had to deal with that. Even if we didn't mean for the particular outcome, we still had to persist with the burden of the people we hurt tied to our backs. That, however, only drove us to try harder, to help those people that we had hurt…to save them. In the end y…I mean, this girl, was captured and almost killed by a terrible man. I thought that I would lose her, but I pressed on. I had to help her and all of the people that needed us. In the end I was able to save her and the people who needed it…but at a cost...it cost me her…and many other people that were important to me. To this day, I still carry the burden on my back, but the point is that your father isn't right and neither are you. You can't use people like tools you can throw away and you can't use yourself as one either. Bad things will happen to people regardless of what you do. No matter what, life happens, and that's all there is to it. Instead of throwing your life away on some scrap or righteousness, you've got to try and put every bit of that strength into doing something to help those you would sacrifice yourself for. That will undoubtedly get you farther than just losing your life for one selfish, self-righteous act."

Zelda looked up at Link, tears still falling from her eyes. She smiled slightly at him. The story he had just told her…he seemed so sincere. This wasn't some store bought fairy tale. She could see it in his eyes. These events had happened to him as he had said it to her. There were no lies, no tricks, no falsehoods to this tale. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but she just felt like she did.

"Link, was it? All I can say to you…is thank you."

With that, she got to her feet, dusted off her long, pink dress and walked over to where Garith was standing.

* * *

**Update!**:This chapter has been thorouhgly and heavily edited to remove and fix some mistakes that I previously made...  
If you have read this chapter on or after 8/14/2008, please disregard this posting...  
If you have read this chapter before 8/14/2008, it would be in your best intrest to read the second half of this chapter again. In talking about the king of Hyrule, I did mean it that Zelda was in charge of dealing with the skull people. Advice was purveyed to her from her father on ways that she could deal with it, but I ended up saying that _he_ was the one that wrote and hatched the idea for the letter, when it was, in fact, Zelda who had come up with this plan. I am sorry for the confusion I may have caused all of you, my readers.


	13. A Disconcerting Silence

**Author's Note**: Hello, again! Back for yet another chapter this week!  
Before you go on to read this chapter I would ask that those of you who read chapter 12 last week before 10 PM on release day, please go back and read the author's note at the very end of the chapter. It will explain everything.  
This will be that last chapter I will be posting before returning to college this weekend. However, I do not think my collegiate studies will cause me to deviate from writing this story. On the contrary, I should actually have more time to write, revise and improve on each chapter! That means that the quality of the story is likely to go up rather than down.  
I hope that you will all continue to follow this story as I keep posting. I assure you that it will be getting very interesting within the next few chapters.  
I would also like to reiterate that all Zelda characters belong to Nintendo and all original characters belong to me. If you would like to use any of them, send me a PM and I'll get back to you about it.  
So, of course, please enjoy chapter 13!

* * *

Chapter 13

A Disconcerting Silence

The sun was beginning to go down as Link, Zelda and Garith made their way into Hyrule Field. Link decided that the best place for them to stay would be at Lon Lon Ranch. It was close enough and Talon would probably be more than happy to let Link and his companions stay for the night.

As they walked through the ever darkening field, Link looked over at Garith. He really hadn't told them anything that would warrant their trust. All they really knew was his name. That didn't seem like enough to base a solid trust on. Zelda seemed to be thinking the same. She was also constantly glancing sideways at Garith, as if by just looking at him she could discern the truth. Link stopped and looked directly at Garith.

"Garith, you haven't really told us anything about yourself. You show up out of nowhere and save our lives, but for what? Money, or something else? I still haven't been able to figure that out. You walk with us right now, but you haven't given us one reason to trust you."

Garith stopped and looked over at Link. "Trust me? I have no need of your trust. I saw that you were in trouble, so I helped you. Once I found out that this was the princess, I figured that you might need to be escorted back to your castle…for a fee. That way, you would be safe to rule your kingdom and I could earn some extra cash. Mercenary work doesn't come around so often these days. This land is too peaceful…"

Link still wasn't sure what to think of Garith, but he hadn't given them any reason to suspect anything of him. He would just have to be wary and keep an eye on him. There wasn't much else he could do.

As they walked in silence, a shape began to take form over the hill within the darkening field, a shape that was so familiar to Link. Lon Lon Ranch began to come into view. It had been so long since he had last been to Lon Lon Ranch. He hadn't even seen Talon or Malon since he left. He felt bad that he hadn't visited them since he became a mail runner, but his job had kept him relatively busy…

Garith stopped walking and turned to face Link and Zelda. "Look, I know you two don't trust me. I'm a mercenary so I'm used to that kind of thing. I really don't care what you think of me, whether you trust me or whether you just want to run me through with a sword; I'm doing this because I want to."

With that, he turned his back on them once again and continued to walk.

Moments later, the three finally reached the Ranch. It looked just as Link had remembered. Everything about it was the same…but something didn't seem right…there just wasn't as much life to it as he had remembered. There were no horses neighing, cucco's clucking or cows mooing. Link couldn't even hear Malon's singing, Talon's snoring nor Ingo's incessant grumbling about his terrible job.

_Something about the ranch doesn't seem right. Well it is late…that may account for the lack of activity… _Link thought to himself._ I'm sure they won't mind if we just show up…at least I hope they don't…_

"Come on you guys, the entrance is right over here."

With that Link, Zelda and Garith, walked through the entranceway and into the ranch.

* * *

As they walked through the empty ranch, it became increasingly obvious to Link that something was amiss. Even this late at night, there was always some kind of life on the grounds…or at least within the buildings. Most nights when he lived on the ranch it was hard for him to sleep from the constant sound of the horses or the cows from within their stalls. Something about this silence felt…wrong. It was unnatural; at least that's what Link thought.

"Link…" Zelda said "are you sure this ranch isn't abandoned. Even if it were, we could still stay here but…I thought you said there were people who lived here."

Link looked over at Zelda with an expression of unease. "There's got to be somebody here. I think we better split up and search the grounds for someone…anyone. Zelda, you look in the stables. Garith, check the corral. I'll look through the main house."

Garith only snorted at Link's remarks. "I don't take orders from people who don't pay me..."

"Okay," Link said. "At some point, I'll pay you but, for now, I just need your help."

Link walked into the main house of the ranch and memories began to flood his mind. He had had so many good times in this place, it was a wonder that he hadn't tried to come back. Talon and Malon had always been so kind to him…even if Talon was always trying to get Link to marry Malon. No matter how many times he tried, Link would always laugh it off. Though, thinking about that always made him remember Malon's song. The beautiful melody she would always sing to her horse Epona had always become stuck in his head whenever he heard it. It was so strikingly melodious…

Just as he began to drift back into the past, a piercing scream cut the air. It was Zelda!

"Zelda!? What the…"

Link ran out of the house and toward the stables where Zelda had started her search. What in the world could have made her scream like that? There wasn't any time to think about what caused her cries, though. If something was wrong…he had to get to her now!

As Link ran through the open door of the stables, the putrid smell of rotting flesh filled his nostrils. The smell was nauseating, but nothing that Link hadn't become accustomed to along his journey. He wondered how many battles it had taken, how many lives he had ended, for him to be desensitized this much.

Link entered the main stables and saw the sources of the smell. All of the cows and horses had been massacred, mutilated, their blood spattered around the entirety of the building. Zelda was standing in the middle of the aisle between the stables, her hand covering her mouth in shock. What was it that she was looking at? As he drew closer, he could see what was haunting her.

In the corner of one of the stables was a man covered in blood. It was Talon! Link wasn't sure if it was his blood or the remains of his beloved animals, but it didn't matter. Link ran over to his side and put his ear to Talon's chest, trying desperately to find a heartbeat. To his relief, Talon's heart seemed to be beating, however faint it was, but now that Link was closer he could see the wounds that were ailing Talon.

"Knife wounds…they're all over him…what the hell happened here?"

Just as Link finished speaking, Talon seemed to rouse out of his unconsciousness. His eyes creaked open and his pupils gazed upon Link. The look of utter relief on his face was enough to assure Link that he was, indeed, alright.

"Link, I…" Talon choked out, but Link stopped his sentence short.

"You need to save your energy. You're cut up really bad. Don't worry, we'll go and find help. Where's Malon? We should help her too."

Talon's eyes welled with tears at Link's question. "Malon…she's…she's been taken…"

Link's mind rushed with questions, his eyes flashed with anger. Only one question crossed his mind.

"Who did this? Who took Malon?" His words burned from his tongue so much he thought the air would catch flame.

"It was…it was..."


	14. Thoughts of a Broken Time Line

**Author's Note:** Hey everybody! Back at school now, but still writing the fic.

I am really impressed with this chapter, personally. I know everybody has been clamoring for some details about the overall plot of the story or, well, anything in particular and I think this chapter will, how should I say it, help you out a little bit. I think you will enjoy it.

Sorry about all of the cliffhangers everyone. I know it probably angers some of you when I leave it like that, but I was talking to another author and I feel cliffhangers make you keep reading. A large amount of good books that I have read have a healthy amount of cliff hangers in them and I feel that, most of the time, if they are well placed, they are a good thing. They make it exciting waiting for the next chapter and wondering what will happen next. They give you time to speculate about how the plot will progress and then test your theories when the next chapter does come out. I probably won't stop using cliff hangers any time soon, but I wouldn't mind if you voiced your opinions in a review. It always helps to get some feed back from my readers. I always appreciate honest opinions.

Made a few changes to last week's chapter if you want to take a look at it. It was just a few suggestions that were made that I ended up editing (thanks go out to Cloudrunner Sparty! Thanks man!)

Oh, also, when Talon speaks, he uses alot of cut off words. They are NOT typos. Like he says things like "jus" instead of "just" or "ta" instead of "to". It's to support the realism of the characters way of speaking in his dialogue.

As always, Nintendo characters are Nintendo property and original characters are property of me.  
Please enjoy chapter 14!

* * *

Chapter 14

Thoughts from a Broken Time Line

"Ingo…" Talon breathed.

Link sat next to Talon, mouth slightly agape, thinking over the information he had just taken in. He was slightly surprised that he hadn't cautioned Talon and Malon about Ingo once he had met up with them again. It was Ingo, after all, that had tried to take over the ranch and Talon into ruin in the first place, yet Link had no idea he was capable of such violence. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Yea, it was earlier taday…I…I went to…ugh…I went to talk to him about muckin the stalls today but…" Talon coughed and blood splattered to the floor.

"Please," Zelda said "you must take it easy. If you don't you could…"

Link knew what she was going to say. He could die with the wounds he had sustained. He needed to take it easy or he could just as soon be dead.

Talon looked over at Zelda who was now sitting next to him, attempting to stop his bleeding.

"Well, if my eyes deceive me…your princess Zelda! What in tarnation are ya doin here?

"I'm traveling back to the castle with Link. We just came from some…negotiations…with a group of skull people from the Lost Woods in the Kokiri Forest."

"Well tan my hide. I never would have thought I'd ever talk to you, let alone having you try ta stop my bleedin." He let out a labored laugh, but it only caused more blood to dribble out.

"Don't talk so much, Talon." Link said. "You need to save your energy. Don't worry, I'll find Ingo…and Malon."

"I…I don't know what happened Link. All I remember is...is comin in here ta talk ta Ingo when he jus started babblin on about a "master" or somethin. He said _I hear you master. I'll bring you the horse for your glory and my servitude._ He tried to take Epona but I...I wouldn't let him. He took out a knife from his pocket and said _don't get in my way. I must do as the master commands_. That's when he jumped me and...and bloodied me up like this. After that he grabbed Epona and started to run off. Malon tried to stop him…but he grabbed her too. That's when I went it all goes black."

Tears began to fill Talon's eyes again. Link was on edge. If he didn't know where Ingo was headed, even a small shred of information, there would be nothing he could do to find Malon. There was no telling what Ingo would do to her or, even worse, what this master would do with a girl he didn't ask to be brought.

"Talon, do you know if Ingo said anything about a name. A person, a place; I'll take anything. I need something to go on or I won't be able to find her."

Talon stared for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"I…I remember Ingo sayin somethin about _Master Padrick_ or _Paskick_…no, no wait, it was…it was Palick. He said he had to get to Master Palick as fast as he could."

"Thanks Talon. That's all the information I need. Come on, I'll help you into the house so you can rest and recover."

"Thank you Link…I appreciate the…hel…p."

At that moment Talon fell unconscious again. He had lost a good amount of blood, but he would survive. Zelda had wrapped his wounds and the bleeding had pretty much stopped. He was just exhausted, it seemed. He would hold on until he had Malon back on the ranch. He would need a lot of rest and time to heal, but he would be alright.

Link put his left arm behind Talon's back and slipped his right at the underside of his knees. He hoisted him into the air and carried him out of the stables and into the main house. He laid him out on his bed in the upstairs room, walked out of the house and closed the door behind himself.

After gathering Garith and Zelda out in front of the ranch, he told them about the time that he had spent with Talon and Malon. How she had saved his life and how Talon had taken him in and treated him like his own son.

"That's why I have to find this Palick guy and bring Malon back."

Garith's ears perked up and he stared at Link for a moment. "Did you say you were looking for Palick"

"Yea, do you know him?"

"Well," Garith said with a grimace spreading across his face. "I know _of_ him. You know, hearsay you catch from walking around looking for jobs to take. If your looking for Palick, though, you're going to want to bring a sword."

"Why's that?" Link asked.

"'Cause we're heading for the desert."

* * *

Link and Zelda stared at Garith for a moment. Then Zelda broke the silence.

"You mean the Gerudo Desert? How would you know that? I've never even heard of this guy and the royal family has spies all over the place, including the Gerudo Desert. How could just a bunch of mercenaries keep this information so secret?"

Garith turned and looked towards the sky. It seemed like he was thinking, pondering whether he should divulge the knowledge that he possessed. It seemed to him that the only way to get them to believe him and go, was to tell them some of the knowledge that he possessed.

"The last job I took on was to assassinate this man, Palick. The original king of the Gerudo tribe was tricked out of his kingship by the guy. When he attempted to take it back by force, Palick unleashed some kind of amazing power on him. He took a contract with me, but Palick used that same power to take me down as well. Needless to say, I had to return the kings money."

Link shifted to look back at Garith. "But, what does this…Palick…want with the Gerudo. To me, he should have tried to take over Hyrule first and then spread out to the surrounding land. Although…"

Link thought back to how Ganondorf had done it. He had already controlled the Gerudo by being their king. After that, he easily took over everything after Link was out of the way. Then again, he did say that there was a new king of the Gerudo. It couldn't be Ganondorf, though. He was sealed inside the Sacred Realm. How, then, was there a Gerudo king?

_I don't really have a lot of time to think about this now_, Link thought.

Garith looked at Link. "I don't know why he wanted the desert first. He may have wanted the power of the Gerudo clan. They may be women, but they are powerful warriors all the same."

_That's the truth_, thought Link as he recalled his fight with Nabooru. _She was incredibly powerful. However, there's no time to sit here and give them credit for their fighting prowess. I've got to help Malon and Epona._

"Well," Link said. "We'll have to get going if we want to do anything to stop Palick and try to save Talon's daughter."

Zelda had been quietly listening as Link and Garith chatted together, but there was something that was still bothering her.

"Um, you guys, do you remember why we came here in the first place."

Link and Garith stared at her with blank expressions. She pointed at an ever darkening sky overhead. The sun was beginning to set behind the Hyrulian landscape.

"We came here to rest and recover. There's no point in leaving for a battle now. It's already close to dark and Hyrule Field is dangerous at night. What's the point of running off to find this girl now, fighting tons of monsters on the way to the desert and weakening ourselves more than we already are for an opponent that is obviously very powerful. Link, I know this girl is special to you, but you have to think of this rationally. If we went to the Gerudo Desert right now, if we even got there, there's a good chance we would be killed by a poe before we even got close to Palick."

Link grimaced. He knew that she was right. There was no point in going now. They would only be killed.

_Even more than that, _Link thought, _I don't even have a weapon. I'd have to go to Hyrule Market just to find a suitable sword to fight with. I mean, it's not like I could just pick up the Master Sword again._

Garith smiled at Zelda. "Well, if it isn't a princess who actually has some kind of tactical prowess. Maybe if you had used that kind of thinking in the first place, I wouldn't have had to save you. Where did that come from, huh?"

Zelda frowned at Garith. She wasn't sure what had prompted her to say that. She had never really been good at tactical thinking. It was all spur of the moment, fly by night, decisions that she made. At some other point in time she may have told them to wait anyway, but to have such a perfectly crafted and strategic reason why...she was surprised.

"Alright, we'll rest, but we probably shouldn't rest here. Come on, we can go to my house. It's not dark yet and it's not that far from here."

They all headed to the entrance of the ranch, leaving Talon to rest and recover at the ranch, alone. Link would make sure to send him some kind of help to clean up the ranch and really patch his wounds once he got to the castle town in the morning.

As they hurried across Hyrule Field, Link's mind was awash with questions. He didn't know who this Palick person was. He had certainly never heard of him before. Yet it was even stranger that Garith had come in contact with him. He had even fought him…and lost.

_Garith is a mountain, yet he lost to this guy, Palick. He must be incredibly strong to have taken down Garith and the Gerudo King. _

The Gerudo King…that was a strange thought to Link. Without Ganondorf, there shouldn't be a Gerudo king. Though it did seem like the time line was progressing differently this time…it would stand to reason that another male Gerudo was born in this pass to take up the throne as king. It kind of made sense, yet it all seemed so complicated.

_Travel through time is like that, I guess._

Zelda was walking a little bit ahead of Link when she noticed that he had started to drop back from her. She turned around and called after him, but it seemed like he was lost in a dream.

_Everything seems to be happening differently this time. Without Ganondorf, so many things have gone in a different direction. There is a new Gerudo king, a secret war between the skull people and the humans, and even the people..._Link looked over at Zelda who had been staring at him. She seemed worried about him. _She is nothing like what she used to be or, well, what she should be._ _I guess the changes were inevitable, seeing as so many things in this run through time are different..._

Link thought about all of the changes he must have created in this pass through time. Obviously, all of the people who were now stored within the sacred realm have been removed from the time line completely. Darunia, Impa, Princess Ruto, Nabooru, Saria…Nobody had even known that Saria had existed. Why should the others be any different? All this time he had been traveling with Zelda and not once had he asked her about Impa. It would all make sense then. If he was right and Zelda knew nothing of Impa then…

Link broke his thoughts off. Zelda had come up right in front of him and she seemed like she was worried about him. He looked at her for a moment. It was so strange that they would meet in the way that they did. If he hadn't taken that letter carrying mission, neither of them would be where they were now.

_Hm, she probably wouldn't even know my name_.

He began walking again and so did she.

"Princess," he said delicately "do you, by chance, have an aide by the name of Impa? Or did you employ a woman by this name at any time?"

Zelda gave him a funny look. "Impa…no, I can't say that I've ever even heard of a person by that name. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, I guess. I once met a person by that name. She told me that she had been a personal aide of yours a while back. I guess she was pulling one over on me. Sorry to have asked."

Link began thinking again. He had known for a long time that no one had acknowledged Saria's existence, but if Impa had disappeared as well, that would mean that all of the sages must have been removed from the time line completely. It also seemed that Ganondorf was included in this too. Without him, the time line had even changed! No longer was it Ganondorf the Gerudo king, but this new male gerudo who had been born and come to the throne. Did that mean that none of them existed now, or is it that their existence within the Sacred Realm has, this time through the time line, temporarily removed them and allowed them to live as beings that were separate from Hyrulian history? Either way, it didn't seem to make a large amount of sense. The obvious truth was that no one knew of the existence of the six beings known as sages, nor the previous gerudo king, Ganondorf. These, Link knew, were facts.

Link was just finishing his thoughts when they had finally reached his home. The sun was just about to set and, in their condition, it was not safe to be outside when the sun finally went down. He opened the door for Garith and Zelda. They would rest there for the night.

_Tomorrow, I'll need a sword. I'm going to have to go to Hyrule Castle town and find something at the bazaar._

The sun was down, the field was dark and Link was lying on his bed, racking his brain with facts and theories, falling deeper and deeper into sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, what did you think? Enough information, or not enough?  
I hope that this chapter was enough to keep you guys reading along on this fic. In the next few chapters, there is going to be quite a bit of information revealed, I think. I hope you will keep on reading!


	15. A Sword to Rival the Master

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Before we get into this next chapter, I would just like to caution you all that, from now on, my chapters we be released sometime on Wednesdays. I know that I have been releasing pretty much at noon for the whole story but, with my class schedule, I have not been able to do this. Please bear with me. I will still release on Wednesdays, but it will be at some unspecified time. Not directly at noon.  
In other news, I am really happy with this upcoming story arc. It is rather important, so I would pay attention (except I wrote it so I don't necessarily have to...). As always, I ask you to read this chapter and dig into the deeper meaning to it. With this story, you really have to keep all the things you know about Zelda and its time line at the forefront of your brain but not tie the story to the time line. It fits in some of the overall structures for the time line that I have found, but I won't tell you which one until it's over (because that will ruin the story). At the end of the story I will be adding one additional chapter that will be explaining how the story fits into the Zelda Universe. So keep reading and keep delving into the story.  
As always, all Nintendo characters belong to Nintendo and all originals belong to me. On a side note (I know I don't usually say how my characters should talk, but this one is important to me) when you reach a character named Fraling, I suggest you think of him with a sort of British accent. If you've ever seen a video game review by a man named Yahtzee, that is the kind of voice I think of him having. Of course, you don't have to think of it that way, but I think it suits the overall character very well. You don't have to think of him that way, I just find it very entertaining. I know quite a few people who like to imagine voices of their own construction, so whatever you want to do is fine.  
I hope you are all enjoying this fic so far. It has come along a lot farther than I had ever imagined when I started it. I hope you all will continue to read and enjoy my work because, in truth, all fan fiction is for its readers. We write so that we can entertain you and answer you questions as to the series that you love. This story is no different.  
Without further distractions, here is Chapter 15!

* * *

Chapter 15

A Sword to Rival the Master

Link had never liked the bazaar in Castle Town. To him, it had always been too overcrowded and the shops didn't sell any goods that justified the prices that they charged for them. Well, that's what he thought, anyway.

Link walked around the main plaza of the bazaar and wondered if he really could find a sword that could take the place of the Master Sword. There couldn't possibly be a blade that could rival it that he could purchase, yet he pressed on through the crowd.

As he ambled through the crowded streets of the bazaar, he accidentally bumped into Zelda and knocked her down. It wasn't his fault, though. She was dressed in a long black cloak that completely covered her from head to toe. He was sure that not even her own father would recognize her. That, however, was the whole point.

They had been standing in front of the entrance bridge to the castle town. Link had told her to go back to the castle, to let him take care of the whole thing with Malon and Palick. He had told her that it wasn't her problem anymore but, more accurately, he didn't want to see her get hurt. He knew she was especially good at getting captured. She, however, insisted upon staying.

"You don't have to be a part of this…" he had told her. "Let Garith and I take care of this. We both have scores to settle in the desert. That's not your territory, so it's not your problem. Like I said before, you don't have to throw your life away. The kingdom needs you."

Zelda had looked at him, rather exasperated, and said "This is important to me too Link. If this Palick person could conquer the warriors of the Gerudo lands, then there's no telling how quickly he could conquer Hyrule. I don't even know if he _wants_ to conquer these lands yet. All I know is that if I go with you, I might be able to find some answers to a couple of things…"

Link had known she was talking about what had happened to the skull people. She either really did care about them or, perhaps, it was her fear of a war between their kingdoms.

"Alright, if you want to stay with us, I can't really object. However, if you're coming with us _today_, you need to be disguised. The fact that you just disappeared from the castle without anyone knowing has got to have the whole castle in chaos. We don't know if the guards will be looking for you. There's a very good chance that they will be and, trust me, they'll fight first and ask questions later. We don't need the entire Hyrulian royal family after us. It'll just slow down our progress."

Link had gone into the bazaar and brought back a large black cloak that covered Zelda in her entirety. He didn't explain how he had gotten it, but Zelda could tell that he hadn't bought it.

As they walked into the main castle town, it seemed that Link's intuition had been correct. Just as they entered, a whole cadre of royal soldiers passed them grumbling angrily about the disappearance of the princess and, cursing their luck to have to look for her, continued on their way. Obviously they had thought that, if they were going to find the princess, she would be dressed in her royal garb.

This is what brought them to where they now were.

"Sorry about that Zel…I mean, woman I have never met before…"

_Real smooth Link. As if people didn't have enough of a reason to be suspicious of a woman covered completely in a dark cloak…_ Thought Zelda as Link helped her back to her feet.

"You need to find a sword so we can get out of here. If the guards find me…"

"I know." Link said, without even looking at her. "Don't worry, I'll find one soon. You just make sure to stay out of the reach of the guards. If you end up getting captured…"

"I know." She said. "You and Garith will go on without me."

"Well, no not exactly. I was going to say that we would have to come and get you and that that might slow us down a little."

Zelda stared at him for a second. "You…you mean you would actually…come and get me…but the guards…"

"Princess, believe me, the guards are no match for me and, just by looking at Garith, they probably aren't a match for him either."

Zelda blushed slightly under her cloak. No one had ever really treated her like a normal person before. She had always been treated well, or it seemed like it, but royalty were just treated differently by most people. She had always wanted her people to see her as an equal, someone who cared about them as people, not pawns. However, they never did. It was always about her status. No one was her _friend_…they were always just her _subject._ Maybe that's why she seemed to like Link so much. He seemed to treat like an individual, a friend, rather than a sovereign. That is what she truly wanted.

"Link, I…"

"Don't worry about it for now. We don't have the time to waste just standing here. There are people who need us to help them, not to stand in the middle of a crowded square and talk about the hypothetical."

With that Link vanished back into the crowded bazaar, leaving Zelda to dodge the guards, alone.

* * *

Link was getting desperate. It seemed as though he had looked at every shop in the bazaar and none of them had a weapon that would suit him. The swords they were selling just weren't right for him.

_Well, I guess when you spend so much time wielding the blade of evil's bane, your sword arm gets a little spoiled. I guess I should just pick up something I can use and worry about its overall quality later. I just need something I can fight with for now…_

As he continued to walk near the edge of the bazaar where all of the small shops and booths were, something caught his eye. A shop with only one blade in its window began to draw him in like a moth to flame. More than that, the shop owner inside looked almost ancient, as if his one purpose was to sell this single sword.

As Link entered the shop he could smell the mustiness that one would attribute to old age. His eyes began adjusting to the darkness of the practically windowless shop, when its owner came into view.

The man was of a medium height, maybe five foot seven or so, and of a medium build. He was as white as a ghost from, what Link could only assume, was the large amount of time that he had spent inside his shop. The skin around his cheeks had sunken to a small set of jowls while each of his eyes displayed a prominent group of crow's feet. His eyes were a pale green, cloudy from his many tired years. His hair was long and unkempt, but it was of a striking silver color that seemed to fit the rest of him.

He looked up and studied Link for a moment, his pale green eyes probing him for a better understanding. After it seemed that he had had his fill of looking at Link, he stood from his seat behind the main desk.

"Hello, young man. My name is Jarbon Fraling and this little building is my sword shop…or it would be if I had more blades…"

Fraling looked down for a moment and then turned his gaze to the one piece of merchandise in the building, a brilliantly forged sword held by a large wooden display in the front window of the shop. It had a beautiful green hilt, which was carved into the shape of two intertwining double helices that broke into a V for the guard. On the hilt was embossed the shape of the Triforce but, for some reason, the middle of it contained an etching of an eye which, to Link, was reminiscent of the symbol for the Sheikah. The most striking feature of the sword, however, was the blade. It was shaped the same as the Master Sword, yet the blade itself was not silver or even a metallic color. It was jet black.

Fraling caught Link staring at the sword. His face drew up into a small smile and he sighed.

"It is a true beauty of craftsmanship. The helices on the hilt with the v shape give off the feeling that the hilt itself is growing out into the rest of the sword. The Triforce invokes the spirits of the goddesses while the black blade shines without any reason. I doubt even the crimson colored blood it would taste from battle would diminish its beauty. Not only is the blade itself a sight to behold, but it's like it gives off some kind of strange power when you hold it…to many it's very unsettling. Maybe that's why I can't sell the damned thing…"

He looked sadly at the dark colored sword, a kind of yearning in his eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I have been searching for this sword for years and then, when I finally got it…dear me, I'm terribly sorry, I don't think you've come here to hear an old man's ramblings."

He ran up to Link and shook his hand forcefully. The grip was so tight that Link couldn't break free of it. For such an old man, he was rather strong.

"You are obviously in the market for a fine weapon; I believe that's why you came here. The sword caught your eye didn't it? It does that with so many _adventurers_, yet none of them seem to be able to wield it. Yes…no one is really in the market for such a fine sword nowadays anyway. With all this peace in the land, no one needs such a high quality blade at their side. If it's got an edge and it cuts, it's good enough for most, even our most _honored_ guard."

He chuckled as he pointed out the window to a group of Hyrulian soldiers running by, looking for the princess.

"Those swords are no better than goron spit if you ask me. Not a high class one in the bunch. They hardly even take care of them, at least the ones who even carry swords anymore. Most of them carry spears or those stupid halberds these days. _If I can reach them from farther away and still hit them, that's good enough for me_, that's the way they think now. Barely any of them have enough combat skills to take down a small dodongo. Oh, there I go again, rambling like I always do. Please forgive me. I don't think I even caught your name."

Link was rather amused by the man's incessant, wordy display of knowledge. It was refreshing to find a person who was so passionate about what they believed. He had always found that people were afraid to speak out against the royal family for any reason. It seemed that this man had no such fear.

"My name is Link."

"Link…what a fine sounding name! Can I ask you what brought you into my shop? I assume it was the sword."

Link looked back at the almost sparkling black blade and blinked at it. Its shine was almost blinding which, to Link, was rather strange seeing as they were in a very dark building and the blade was not really made out of any kind of reflective material.

"Yea, I've been looking for a good blade and this one caught my eye. I wielded a great sword once…but I couldn't use it forever…no sword has really given me the same feeling since."

"Well," said Fraling. "I don't think you'll be finding a better blade any time soon. This one has almost as mysterious a history as the sword known as Gilgaroket. May I ask you why you're looking for such a fine weapon?"

"There are some very important…tasks…that I need to take care of. I'm pretty sure I'll need to defend myself for what I'm about to do…it's gonna be really dangerous. I mean, right from the start I'm throwing myself and my friends into the Gerudo Desert…"

The old man's ears perked up.

"Did you say the Gerudo Desert?"

Link was slightly taken aback by the man's enthusiasm. He decided to proceed with caution for the rest of their conversation.

"Yes…why, is that important to you?"

"No, not really" said Fraling, trying to tone down his overall excitement. "It's just that the Desert is a rather dangerous place. No one usually goes there unless they want to die…why on Earth would you want to go there?"

Link gazed out the window into the marketplace. Children were running, laughing as they played. It reminded him of the days he used to spend on the ranch. He and Malon used to run all over the ranch, chasing each other around the horses and through the flocks of cucco's, who would always scatter around, leaving Link and Malon rolling in the grass, laughing about the world and all the things in it.

Malon was out there in the desert and it was up to him to save her. Talon and Malon had been the only people that had even come close to being a family to Link recently.

"There's someone out there that needs my help. She's a friend of mine and she's in serious trouble…"

"Say no more." Fraling said with a smile. "You don't need to tell me anything else."

Link glanced back at the shimmering black blade before him. He was absolutely mesmerized by it.

"You said that this thing had a story, didn't you?"

Fraling looked a little surprised. He went back behind his small counter, sat down on his stool and looked at Link.

"You know, every weapon has a story. Hell, every _thing_ has some sort of chronicle to its name. It's just that the one that accompanies that thing is a bit stranger. It's not the fact that it has a long and impressive history." Fraling looked up dreamily at the ceiling. "No...it is the fact that this blade has _no _story. That's what makes it so interesting."

Link broke his gaze from the sword and stared at Fraling.

"No story…how is that possible? Everything should have some sort of background…even if it's just…"

"Rumor…yes, that's the thing, though. There are very few rumors about that sword and even fewer facts about it. For all most people know, this sword doesn't even exist at all."


	16. A Mysterious Black Blade

**Author's Note:** Hello everybody! Here is the next chapter in this small story arc. Again, like I said, this is one of my favorite parts in the whole story. There is a lot of stuff in these next few chapters, so read very closely so you don't miss anything!  
On a bit of a sad note, I have been battling with writers block the last few weeks and am literally at a loss of words (when it comes to writing, that is), so I have barely gotten any work done on the story. Not only that, but my classes have been a bit more demanding than I had expected...I have written enough to have a chapter ready for next week but, after that, I'm not sure what's going to happen. Keep looking on every Wednesday and I will try my best to keep getting the chapters out. I will not, however, rush to get them out. I want them to be of the highest quality I can possibly make. You all deserve that. So, just bear with me for the time being and keep checking back. I will do everything I can to keep the story going on schedule.  
As usual, all original characters (like Fraling) belong to me while everyone else belongs to Nintendo. If, however, any of you would like to use my characters in your stories, send me a PM and I would be happy to chat about it with you. All I ask is a little bit of credit to be purveyed to me in your author's notes or something like that.  
Without any more delay, I give you chapter 16!

* * *

Chapter 16

A Mysterious Black Blade

Link's interested stare turned into an incredulous gaze as Fraling made his last remark.

"You can't expect me to believe that no one knows that this exists. You said it has a some kind of mysterious history, so what is it?"

Fraling leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath and turned his pale green stare back to Link. His face was stone serious, but his demeanor shown with a bright excitement. This sword seemed to bring him great joy.

"Again, most of this story is all hearsay, but I assure you that it is worth a listen. Many say that this sword was forged long before it was ever needed, in an ancient time before man took up weapons to destroy each other. Some say that it was used for some kind of ancient ritual. Anyway, as time went on and humans began to fight each other in wars, people would try to forge amazing blades, such as this one, in their own metal working. These swords, however, paled in comparison to this one. In time, the wars grew larger and more destructive and the sword was not seen by human eyes for a long time…that is, until the Great War, the war that encompassed every race of every area in Hyrule. Just imagine the scope of that…the Goron fighting the Gerudo who in turn fight the Zora who were fighting the Hylian. It was truly an utter mess. The war got so bad and encompassed so many that no one thought that it could be ended, that is, until The Great Warrior appeared."

Link's ear's perked up.

"A great warrior…"

"No, no, no, no, no, no." Fraling said with a laugh. "Not _a _great warrior, _The_ Great Warrior. Out of nowhere, when all seemed to be lost, a man appeared with amazing power and a sword with a blade of pure, jet black material. He came upon the front lines of the battle and, with one swing of his sword, struck down hundreds of warriors. The power of this man was so frightening and terrible that all four of the nations began peace negotiations immediately. After a complete treaty among the nations was created, the warrior took wing and left but swore to the leaders of each nation that, should a war such as the last ever occur again, he would return and destroy them all. This is the basis on which our peace is now based to this very day. The fear with which the warrior put into the leaders has been passed down since the Great War ended. It is true that the commoners and nobles do not know this story…they don't have to. Their leaders need not tell them anything because _they_ are all risking _their_ heads should they declare war upon each other. Sure, there have been small scuffles over time, even a few battles here and there, small wars between two, but not all, different races of people that were ended in other means…but they would never let them become world encompassing conflicts. That would mean certain death for them."

Link resumed his incredulous stare as he began to process the details of Fraling's story. It seemed like it had a few holes in it.

"Hang on, you said that this sword was in the possession of…_The_ Great Warrior. How did you get it?"

Fraling looked at Link for a moment.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure how it came into my possession really. You see, when I was younger, there were two things that I was interested in finding; that blade and the ancient Dark Poe. I had been told that the Dark Poe had been seen in the desert, so that is where I went. I was young and foolish. I was lacking supplies and proper survival skills, so I was immediately overcome by heat and exhaustion. I was unconscious for I don't know how long but, when I came to, I was at the edge of the desert with that sword at my side. I never found the Dark Poe, but I did discover the blade I had been looking for." He looked at Link and smiled widely. "I'd say that's a pretty good trade wouldn't you?"

Link was absolutely stunned. He felt like the story had knocked the wind right out of him. He didn't know what to think or what part of it had surprised him more…the fact that there was a great war no one knew about or that the sword of a great warrior was now on sale by this old weapon enthusiast. He was so confused, but he knew one thing that he had to question.

"Fraling, I think there is one important thing you're missing here…how do you know this story is real? More importantly, how do you know that this blade is real?"

Fraling sat flat in his chair. He raised his head to look at Link and produced a smile that was larger than any Link had ever seen before. This seemed to be the question he was waiting for.

"I don't. Well, not for certain at least. I can't explain it, but I am sure that this sword is truly real. Here, hold it for just a moment and you'll understand."

Fraling walked over and picked up the sword from its display. As soon as his hands touched the hilt, his whole body seemed to shiver. This, however, was not enough to convince Link of anything.

_Hold the sword and I'll know? What does this guy think I am, a validity detector? Still, he does seem awfully excited for something that could just be a fake…_

"Come on, boy…take the sword. You will understand after just one touch of the hilt."

Link was still skeptical, but something about the black blade began to draw him in. He moved beside Fraling and gave him a look of doubt. Fraling did not look fazed at all but, instead, held the blade out at arms length, beckoning him to take it.

_I still don't believe that any of this is really true but, still…it couldn't hurt…_

Link reached out and took the sword from Fraling's waiting hands. Almost immediately, Link was overcome with a sense of strength and power. It was almost the same feeling he had gotten when he had first wielded the Master Sword but this feeling seemed much stronger.

"So…how do you feel?" asked Fraling with bated breath.

The feeling was incredible. This didn't validate anything about the story that Fraling had told him earlier, but this sword…it was definitely not a normal weapon. Its aura was like that or even greater than the Master Sword's. This blade was one that Link could wield without fear or hesitation. It was perfect. He had to be the one to wield it.

"I know that a simple feeling does nothing to prove that this sword is real. It does nothing to prove anything from the story, actually. The only way I was even able to piece together that much of it was from conversations I had had with some lower branch members of the Hyrulian royalty and some obscure weapons experts that I uncovered. That much of the story is all rumors and speculation, yet even that must also be taken with a grain of salt. I'm sorry to say but I really can't give you anymore information on that thing than I already have."

"Fraling…you said you were selling this, right? How much does it cost?"

Fraling looked at Link for a moment and then turned his attention toward the window facing out into Hyrule Marketplace. He knew exactly what he wanted in exchange for the sword. It had taken him years to find someone who would be able to get him what he sought.

_This boy…he might just have what it takes…_

"Well, I find that money really isn't all that important to me these days. How about, instead of paying me rupees, we barter for the sword. I shall give you that blade now, without even a second look. In return, I want you to capture the Dark Poe. You will be going into the desert anyway, so it shouldn't detract from your mission at all. If you can capture the Dark Poe, you can have the sword at no charge. What do you say to that?"

Link looked stunned as Fraling posed his proposition. Such a powerful sword was his…at no charge. All he had to do was capture this "Dark Poe" and he could claim this weapon as his own.

"I think" Link said with a broad smile. "you've got yourself a deal."

Fraling's pent up excitement turned into elation. He had finally found someone who would take the sword from him. He could do nothing but smile to himself.

_I might finally be free…_


	17. Three Paths Within the Bazaar

**Author's Note**: Hey everyone! I have a reeeeeeeally long chapter here today. As such, there are likely to be quite a few typos and errors that I have missed. I have been rather busy lately.  
I have some bad news, however. I believe that I will be taking a week or two off from the story. I am deeply sorry for this, but my classes have thrown more work at me than I was expecting. Not only that, but I have also picked up a job here on campus and all the free time I used to have is now being eaten up by that. I may still get a chapter out next week, but I am not sure. I would advise you to check back each Wednesday to see if I have posted anything or not. I will try to continue writing, but right now I'm swamped. This does not, however, mean that the story is being stopped. No, far from that. I just need to find some extra time to get these chapters in order. If you haven't noticed, they've been getting a little longer and, therefore, more difficult and time consuming to write.  
I appreciate everyone keeping up with the story and I will do my best to keep it going at its current pace.  
Now, for the chapter. This one has some good information in it. Pay attention, because this one is important. It has three separate parts that focus on the three separate characters that are in the main party. There are a large number of new characters introduced in this chapter, so try to keep up with what's going on.  
All Nintendo characters are Nintendo's, while all original characters are mine.  
Now, on to chapter 17!

* * *

Chapter 17

Three Paths Within the Bazaar

Link stood in utter amazement, holding the black sword in his hand. It was the best he had felt in years and now the blade would soon belong to him.

"Hey, Fraling, I have a question for you. You mentioned another sword while you were rambling earlier. I think you called it…Gilgaroket, was it?"

Fraling's eyes glazed over and his smile resumed its place on his face.

"Ah, the great sword, Gilgaroket…that, thankfully, is one blade that has a story that is at least known by most weapon's enthusiasts. It begins a very long time ago…after the events of The Great War. You see, even though the four nations were not allowed to get into a war that encompassed all of them, as per their agreement with The Great Warrior, they were allowed to raise defensive armies and scout for possible threats, fight in small skirmishes, small wars between only two of the nations. Those were not forbidden within their pact with the warrior. I believe it was one of the earliest of the Hyrulian kings that had the sword commissioned…hmmm…anyway, one of the early kings of Hyrule raised a fantastic army with a very powerful swordsmen at its helm. The swordsman's name was Balthus Gilgaroket, a man that stood over six and a half feet tall. His weapons skills were said to be unmatched by anyone within or outside of the kings army. Whenever he would fight an opponent and spill their blood, none of it would soil his blade or the brilliant white battle armor he wore. It became widely believed that he, himself, had been blessed by the goddesses. To his allies and his enemies he was known as the Holy White Soldier. After every one of the battles he fought, no matter how bloody the battlefield was afterward; his armor would always be as inexplicably white as it had been before the battle had started. As you can imagine, having a warrior of this caliber was enough to deter most of the other countries from attacks of any kind, yet there were still small skirmishes between them, nonetheless. Every time, however, the Holy White Soldier, Balthus, would walk onto the battlefield and end the fight within seconds. It must truly have been a sight to behold…anyway, the king became very impressed with the way Balthus fought his battles. He was even more surprised to find out that he was only using a regular, standard issue sword like everyone else in his army. Needless to say, the king didn't think very highly of his most prized warrior striking down enemies with only a simple hunk of steel. As such, he commissioned a sword to be forged by the greatest craftsman, or should I say craftsgoron, at the time, Shalec. Shalec was a literal giant among the goron. It is said that he stood over thirty feet tall, while not slouching, and forged his blades using the flames from Death Mountain, itself."

Link's ears perked up. He had been told a story like that recently…where had he heard that…

"The king paid Shalec very well for the sword that he had made. It was a blade that stood almost four, or so, feet in length and shined with a mysterious glow. The king presented the blade to Balthus and he accepted it. I mean, what could he have done, refused a gift from the king of Hyrule that happened to be made by the greatest sword-smith in the world? I think not. With his new found sword in hand, Balthus went on to claim even more victories than he had before, his sword taking his name along the way. He was, very literally, unstoppable. Then, on a routine scouting mission, his cadre of soldiers was ambushed. No one knows who it was that attacked them, but a scouting party was sent out when they didn't return. From their report, there was blood everywhere, the soldiers were dismembered and there were pieces of white armor upon a large pool of blood. Balthus was slain, his body taken and never found, his prized sword, Gilgaroket, pillaged as the spoils of battle…"

Link was still thinking about the tale that Fraling had finished telling him. It seemed so familiar to him but, the more he thought about it, the less he seemed to be able to come up with.

Link began to think about how his companions were doing. He hoped that Zelda hadn't been caught by the royal guards and, from the lack of any major commotion outside in the square, he didn't find it likely that she had. He thought about Garith too and wondered what he had decided to do while he was in Castle Town.

_Wait…that's it! That sword on Garith's back! I…I have to talk to him about it. I have to know where he got it._

"Well," Fraling said with a sigh. "I guess that's usually part of the measure of a really great blade. If it ever takes on a very well known name or, well, any name at all, you know it has to be a truly amazing weapon…"

Link knew now where he had heard of the blade Gilgaroket. It was similar to the back story that Garith had told him about _his_ sword. He knew that Fraling had no reason to lie to him...he had to know if Garith had been telling the truth. He had to know what was really going on.

"Fraling, I…I have to go. There are a few things that I have to take care of. I _will _bring you that Dark Poe and make this sword mine."

"Haha, that's good. I like your enthusiasm. You may just have what it takes to capture that damned thing. Oh, here take this, you may need it. It's a lantern with a small amount of the Dark Poe's soul contained within it. Light it when you get near the desert and, if you're lucky, it may cause the Dark Poe to appear for you. Be careful with it…it wasn't easy to get a hold of. This is all that I can do for you, though. I hope that you will be able to capture the Poe. Remember, if you do, the sword will be yours."

"Fraling…this is a great blade, right? You said that the greatest of blades are given names. Does this one have a name?"

Fraling smiled at Link. "The swords name…is the Obsidian Blade."

Just as Fraling finished speaking, there was a loud yell from out in the square. There was some kind of commotion outside and Link, sword in hand, wa now ready for battle. He gripped the blade in his hand, threw it's sheathe on his back and burst through the door and into the streets of Hyrule Castle Town.

_If only you knew what you were getting yourself into, young man…I'm so sorry for this…_

* * *

Garith walked the crowded streets of the bazaar. This place was far too populated for his liking but, with Link and Zelda off doing whatever it was they were doing, he had no choice but to be stuck in this place.

As he waded through the crowded streets, visions of his past began to creep into his mind. What was he doing here? How could he have taken this mission? What would happen if he should fail?

As his memories persisted, he hadn't even noticed that he had traipsed into one of the castle towns many back alleys. This was where the most unsavory of creatures tended to show themselves.

He continued to walk, lost in thought, until he came to a dead end in the alley way. He hadn't even noticed where he was. He just kept thinking about all of the things that had happened recently. He thought about Palick, his family, about Zelda, Link…

Garith stopped; someone was behind him. He had to move fast; to get them before they got him. He would have to draw his sword but, would he be able to wield it in such a small area? No, the alley way was too small for a completely horizontal swing of his blade, his most powerful of basic sword techniques. Was that what this person had been hoping for? To catch him at a time when he would be most vulnerable? He was a master swordsman, an excellent fighter; his power had been unmatched for years. How could he make such a simple mistake? He had to act now.

Garith spun around and unsheathed his sword. The only way to take a swing would be to slice downward. That would be the only thing he could do. He looked at the figure walking towards him. They were of moderate height and dressed in a long black cloak; a hood obscuring their face and gloves covering their hands. He would end it in one strike.

Garith lunged forward with the speed of a lightning bolt, his sword covered in shadow cast by the buildings around him. He pulled his sword above his head and brought it down upon the cloaked figure. His strike had been true and his enemy was destroyed, with only a torn cloak remaining.

"Wait…just a cloak…what the…"

With his sword still lodged within the ground, he looked up to see the figure, still alive, still cloaked, now standing upon the blade of his sword. A second cloak had made for a clever diversion. How had this happened…he was one of the greatest warriors…how could he have been tricked so easily?

The figure stepped easily to the ground and turned to face Garith.

"Hm…that was a rather menacing strike, wouldn't you say? I don't believe I'm the one you want to be attacking. Isn't that correct, Nadrin…."

Garith's face drained of all color. What was going on right now? What was so important that _she_ had to track him down?

"Ralboru, I told you never to use my true name in places like this. What if someone were to catch on? What if someone found out that…"

"Save your breath, _Garith_." She said in a rather curt manner. "I did not come here to mock you...no matter how misguided your sword strikes are. I came here to ask if you if you planned on getting the job done any time soon. _He_ is getting impatient and you know better than anyone else what that could lead to…"

Garith pulled his sword from the ground and sheathed it upon his back again. He knew full well what the consequences would be, should he not complete his agreement soon.

"Do not trouble yourself over such trivial things, Ralboru. I have decided now that the best course of action would be to gain their trust…then I will bring them to _him_. _He_ does not have to worry. They will get there soon."

The woman turned and began to walk away.

"For your sake and for everyone else…you better be right."

Then she disappeared, leaving Garith to ponder his next move. He sat down on the cold stone of the alleyway, folded his legs together and began to meditate. This would be a very difficult task, but he could handle it. He had to…for all of them.

Just as Garith had begun to calm himself, a yell resounded from the middle of the bazaar. This would be a great opportunity to gain the trust he was looking for. He got up, looked toward the bazaar and smiled.

"This is exactly what I needed…"

With that, he tore off for the middle of Castle Town.

* * *

Zelda walked aimlessly through the packed streets of the castle town. She had never really come here and walked among the people before. She had always been accompanied by a group of guards. The people seemed not to notice who she really was. This is exactly what she wanted. If she were to be found out, she would have to deal with the guards and then explain to her father how she had failed with the skull people. That would not be a very pleasant conversation.

Before Link had run off into the thick of the bazaar that morning, he had asked Zelda to find a doctor to send to Talon and help him recover. While it would have been easier and more practical to just use one of the doctors from the castle, it would negate all of the work they had done by keeping her hidden from the castle attendants so far. Attention from the royal family was not what they needed right now; they needed to stay undetected and unhindered for the moment.

Her task, now, was to find someone capable of helping Talon without any need to know whom it was that was sending them. Most people would probably assume that Zelda, dressed in her suspicious black cloak, had something to do with the injuries that Talon had sustained. That is what she was worried about. If people thought that she, Link or Garith were involved, things could get very ugly.

As she walked the bustling streets, she came across a small building around the outskirts of the bazaar, next to the entrance pathway to the castle. It was a small shop that was away from everything else. It had a large black door, much larger and heavier looking than a regular door. There was one small window in the front of it and, painted on it, was a sign that read: "Migroti Procue: skilled in medicines, potions and healing".

As Zelda opened the door, it creaked loudly, startling the occupant within. The light was very dim and, after closing the door to the shop, Zelda could just barely make out the figure inside.

The figure turned around and Zelda got a clear view of it. It was an older woman, probably about the age of sixty. She was around five foot two and, as she stood, she was slightly hunched. She was easily describable as squat. Her hair was long and gray and it came down to about her waist. Her eyes, though, were an almost shocking blue color. When she turned to look at Zelda, she felt as though the woman's eyes were staring right through her. Somehow, she seemed so familiar to Zelda.

"Uhhh…" Zelda stammered.

The woman only looked at her for a moment and then, turning around, resumed what she had been doing before being interrupted.

"Welcome to my shop, young one. I am Migroti Procue, master of all things medicinal. What has brought you to me today?"

Migroti spoke with in a very cool, efficient manner.

"Well, I…there's someone I know that is injured and could use treatment. His name is Talon and he…"

"Ah, yes, that buffoon. What has he done to himself this time? Cow hoof to the stomach, cucco gouges to the face, broken bones from falling off of a horse? I have helped that man with so many injuries that I can't even count them anymore. So, what's wrong with him this time? He obviously told you to come and get me to help him…which is strange, seeing as it's usually his daughter that comes to get me…"

Migroti could not see Zelda's face under her cloak, but her body language was enough to alarm her.

"What's wrong? What has happened to Talon…or Malon for that matter? Do they require my help?"

Her tone was quicker now, worried. She obviously cared a great deal for Talon and Malon.

"My companions and I were walking to the ranch to see if we could spend the night there. Once we got there, we found Talon with numerous knife injuries. He was bleeding very badly, but we were able to stop it for the time being. He is still in a great deal of danger if his cuts were to get infected, I would think. One of my companions sent me here to see if I could find someone that could help Talon. Malon has…been kidnapped. The man who works at the ranch, Ingo, lost his mind and attacked Talon, causing the various knife wounds that he has sustained. When Ingo tried to escape the ranch, after massacring the animals and attempting to steal a horse, Malon got in his way and, instead of striking her down, we assume he brought her as an extra gift to the man that he was working for, Palick. That is all that we were able to ascertain from Talon before he fell unconscious again…"

Migroti seemed very distressed by Zelda's story. To Zelda surprise, and relief, she seemed to believe her.

"If what you're saying is true, Talon is in need of serious medical attention right now, is that correct?"

Zelda nodded.

"Then I should be on my way this instant. I believe it is safe to say that you and your companions will be taking care of Ms. Malon, am I correct?"

"Yes, we are going to be on our way momentarily. One of my friends needed a weapon and I needed to find a physician to help Talon. If you require payment…" Zelda pulled a large leather sack from beneath her cloak. It was filled to the brim with rupees; a precaution in case she was ever caught in a situation outside of the palace grounds. "I can pay you whatever you would ask."

"Do not worry yourself over such trivial things right now…you should be on your way so that the guards don't catch you, princess."

Zelda was bewildered. How did she know? Had her cloak slipped? Had she done something to give herself away? It seemed Migroti was able to pick up on her surprise.

"Do not worry yourself, princess. I will not report you to the guards. If you are outside of the palace without anyone knowing, you must have a fairly good reason. Oh, and the way that I knew it was you…"

Migroti pointed to Zelda's hands. She had had them clasped together very tightly, her fingers interlaced together.

"When you were a young, I used to treat your ilnesses, before the king got himself one of those sheep-like lackeys that he likes so much. I'm sure you must have felt some kind of connection…ah, whenever you would get uncomfortable or upset, you would always do that with your hands…whenever I would give you medicine to help your ailments, you would always do that before you took it. I remember it to this very day…you were one of my best patients…"

Migroti walked behind the counter of her small shop, grabbed a large medicine bag and proceeded to put many different jars of varying sizes, as well as cloth wraps for wounds, inside of it.

"As I said, princess, you should be on your way now…it wouldn't be good for your little mission if you were to get caught before you started it."

Migroti looked down at the ground sadly for a moment, a small tear forming in her eye.

"Please…take care of yourself…and Malon. I may just be a simple potion pusher, but I really do care for the people that I help…including you."

With that Migroti picked up her large medicine bag and walked out the door of the shop, leaving Zelda to think about the previous events. What if Migroti wasn't able to make it in time and Talon was already becoming ill from his injuries? What if the three of them were to fail and not retrieve Malon? What if they couldn't stop Palick? What would happen to Hyrule?

A mass of questions began to circulate within Zelda's mind. There were so many uncertainties…so many "what if's". There was no way to know for certain what the future would hold. The only thing that she, Link and Garith could do would be to continue on their path and do whatever they could to complete their mission.

As her thoughts began to settle, a loud yell came from out in the middle of the bazaar. There was some kind of commotion going on. Zelda knew Link had told her to lay low until they left the castle town, but she couldn't just let someone's cries for help fall on deaf ears. She wasn't sure what she was about to do, but she knew that something had to be done. She wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and rushed out into the bazaar, ready for the unknown.


	18. A Life on the Edge of a Sword

**Author's Note**: Hey all! I was able to get this chapter done for you, so I hope you enjoy it. It has some good stuff in it, so read carefully.  
I keep forgetting to tell all of you this, but I would like you to PM me if you are at all confused by something in one of my chapters. I would be more than happy to explain something to you (without giving anything away, that is...), if I word it in a confusing manner, or it just doesn't make sense. You are not alone in this story. I, the writer, am here to help you. I want you to enjoy the story and you can't do that if you are confused.  
Again, from now on, I will try to post every week, but I may not have the ability to finish a chapter for release. Check back every Wednesday (I won't post on any other day) to see if I have anything. I was just able to eek out this chapter in the last few days and, for not having a lot of time, I'd say it's pretty good, a bit short, but good. This is the chapter that I start using that T rating...just to let you know.  
As always, more original characters that are mine and more of the same-old-same-old that are Nintendo's.  
AND NOW, ON TO CHAPTER 18!

* * *

Chapter 18

A Life on the Edge of a Sword

Link ran into the chaotic mass of people now gathered in the heart of the bazaar. Everyone was crowded around a small group of people and there seemed to be some kind of hysteria running through the crowd. Link could hear the people saying things like: "Is that one of the royals?" and "I wonder if they really will kill him". Link wasn't sure what, exactly, was going on, but he knew he had to see what was happening.

As he pushed his way deeper to the innards of the crowd, he could see what everyone was talking about. Standing in the middle of the crowd was a group of men with swords, probably a gathering of marauding bandits looking for a few good rupees to rip off. They, however, were not what Link was focusing on. Being held captive, his hands tied behind his back, was a zora.

_What's a random zora doing walking around Hyrule Marketplace? More importantly, what are those bandits doing with him?_

Link pressed further on into the crowd. It seemed like the bandit that was leading the rest of the group was speaking to the crowd. If Link could just get a bit further in, he could discern what he was saying.

He was almost at the epicenter of the mass when he spotted Zelda running toward the crowd. She seemed just as worried and curious as he was. Link wondered if Garith had heard the commotion as well and, judging from the size of the group, there was no way he couldn't have. It made Link wonder, though, if he had heard it, where was he?

Link could see the bandits clearly now. They were all dressed in black pants and black shirts, which the sleeves seemed to have been ripped off of. Each one was carrying a very old sword upon their backs. A few of them had bows, no doubt their long range specialists. They were all mostly barefoot and wore red bandanas on their heads, probably to symbolize their unity as a group. They were all relatively tall and of strong, stocky builds. The only one who was not dressed exactly like the others was the bandit who seemed to be in charge. He had the same black pants, but his shirt was blood red and he wore a large gold chain with a skull attached to the end of it around his neck.

Link was close enough that he could now fully hear what the lead bandit was saying. It seemed that he had some kind of plan for this zora that he had captured but, Link wondered, who was this zora and what was his importance?

"…and that is entirely up to all of you and the zoran royalty. If you don't get us what we are asking for within this day, we shall kill him."

The bandit pulled the sword off of his back and brought it up to the zora's neck, causing him to flinch. The bandit licked his lips, enjoying the moment immensely. It seemed that he was incredibly serious.

"So, you, the royals of this place and those of the zora are to give us five million rupees. If you don't, the zora will lose their prince and the Hyrulian's will lose their chance at sealing that deal with them for the use of their river. Ha ha ha ha, sounds like a lose-lose situation to me. Then again, I can't say for sure what you will do. Either way, it's a win for us. We either get some extra cash…or get to spill some royal blood. It's your choice."

The bandit brought his sword back and prepared to swing it at the zora at his feet. He swung the blade for the zora's neck and, just as it was about to make contact, he stopped. A cadre of zoran soldiers and an attaché of Hyrulian guards both recoiled in fear. The lead zora stepped up in front of the bandits.

"Please, return prince Ratu to us. We shall try to give you what you ask for, but we need to consult our king first…just give us some time…please."

One of the Hyrulian guards also stepped in front of the bandits.

"I will have to consult our king as well. You must allow us some time, though…"

The bandit smiled at them both.

"You have until sunset. Go and speak to who you must. If any of you make any false moves in an attempt to save him…I'll slit his throat. You have until sunset…go now."

Zelda had made it over to Link and seemed extremely distressed by the situation at hand. She looked at Link and frowned. He knew she wanted to save prince Ratu but, if she were to try, she might end up revealing her identity and become another target for these bandits to pick up. He also knew that if he tried to attack them and free the prince, he may just end up getting himself, the prince or someone else, killed. Even with a powerful new sword and a high confidence level, nothing could take away the upper hand that the bandits now held.

Link began to wonder again. During his journey the last time, the zora didn't have a prince…they had a princess, Ruto. Did Ruto still exist or was she another victim of disappearance from this realm just like Saria and Impa? Had this happened to all of the sages? It stood to reason that if it was true with one of the sages, then it was probably true with all of the rest of them too. Then again, where is it that they could exist? If not in the land of Hyrule, then where were they? Could they be sealed inside the Sacred Realm? That would make sense, seeing as they would be protecting the realm of Hyrule from Ganondorf who was sealed within it…Link wasn't sure what to think, though. Time travel was so confusing…

The zoran soldiers and the Hyrulian guards had yet to try and make their way out of the crowd. They seemed to be apprehensive about leaving the prince with the bandits and just trusting them to keep their word. The lead bandit seemed to notice this and took up his sword again.

"Hey, why haven't you idiots gone to your kings yet? Does this one's life mean nothing to you? Or, do you think that we won't have the guts to kill someone that's so important to us?"

The bandit walked into his crowd of followers and came back with a small, balding man dressed in white robes. He seemed to be some kind of cleric or healer.

"This, to all of you here in the crowd, is a healer that we "borrowed" from a group of people on a pilgrimage a few weeks ago. Now, up until that time, we had no way of getting ourselves patched up after battle. He has, unwillingly of course, provided us with his healing services a countless number of times. Why, he was even able to reattach one of my follower's arms which, to this very moment, still functions properly. He has become an invaluable asset to our little group here…but still…"

The bandit raised his sword in the air and brought it down upon the man's neck, separating his head from his shoulders. Blood began to pour out of the man's stump of a neck, his body upon to the ground convulsing wildly while his head rolled nonchalantly away from the spectacle. The crowd recoiled in terror, not wanting to be the bandit's next victim.

"He _was_ very important to me, much more important than this paltry little prince of yours. Do you know why? It's because he had physical value. He could help us when we were injured and he could do it whenever we told him to. This little zora here has prospective value. He _could_ be an investment worth a large sum of money but, well…sometimes investments don't work out, do they?"

The bandit smiled evilly as the crowd continued to shriek in fear, the dead man's head now resting comfortably in place near the edge of the crowd, his body limp and bleeding.

"Let it be known now that I, Grecon Braedon, am not afraid to let a deal go sour…just as long as it is entertaining to me. Oh, and if any of you plan on bringing reinforcements around after you go see your kings, I have a little surprise for you."

Braedon produced a small horn from the pocket of his pants and played it. The sound was a very low bass that seemed to resonate over the entire surrounding area. The whole crowd was silent and Link saw why Braedon seemed so confident. Perched upon almost every rooftop around the bazaar was a bandit with a bow, sharpshooters no doubt.

"If anyone here tries to leave, other than the guards, I'll have them killed. One step outside of this area and my men will open fire upon you, is that clear?"

It seemed that a good deal of the crowd believed him and stayed where they were, perfectly still. Others, even after seeing him kill one of his own, only scoffed at his plan. They must have believed that they couldn't possibly kill all of them. It would be suicide. They would be bringing the wrath of both the zora and the Hyrulian royalty upon themselves. That would be a ludicrous idea.

As many of them started to walk away, Braedon seemed disappointed. He hung his head low and shook it from side to side. He was still smiling.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…should have listened to me…"

He made a quick motion with his hand and immediately the men on the buildings fired upon those walking away. Each one hit their target with amazing accuracy, one arrow through the heart, and one through the head. They did not shoot to wound, they shot to kill.

The crowd was now in complete disarray, but they all stayed where they were for fear of getting killed. The handful of people that attempted to leave, maybe twelve in all, lay in the street, dead, blood seeping from their wounds. Braedon was not playing a game, this was not a threat, this was real and anyone was a target.

"You see?!" Braedon said with a large grin on his face. "I can kill any of you. Rich or poor, king or pauper, you are all the same to me. For all intents and purposes, I'm taking this crowd hostage."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I do not know a whole lot about the effects of dismemberment, seeing as I have never seen it first hand, but I tried my best. If any of you have any suggestions of how to describe this stuff a little better, let me know. Or, if you think I did a good enough job at describing it, that's good too.


	19. Will You Make a Deal?

**Author's Note**: Hey everybody!It's been a long time, has it not? Sorry for not posting in such a long while but I have been rather busy. My schooling has left me rather swamped these days and unable to actually write up a new chapter. However, I had a small break this past weekend and decided to write up the next installment of my story. I hope you have all been checking back every Wednesday to see if I have made any new progress. If you have, then you will now get to read this chapter right now! If not, well, I hope you get to it sooner or later.  
On such a note, I continue to warn you that I have no idea when I will be getting chapters in. I can assure you that I will be getting a bit done during thanksgiving and a whole lot done during Christmas break. My schedule is just rather busy right now, especially with midterms and other such obstacles blocking all of my creativity and free time.  
In the way of the story: If you didn't quite know how to pronounce Braedon's name...I like to think that it sounds like this (Bray-don), although you don't have to pronounce it that way.  
I implore you to keep up with the story as it will be getting rather interesting very soon.  
So, without further ado...Chapter 19 awaits!

* * *

Chapter 19

Will You Make a Deal?

He sat in darkness, completely alone, aware that he was the one in control. If he wanted to, he could, in seconds, take this entire land and rule it…or destroy it. His power was greater than any other, as he had already displayed in the Gerudo Desert. Now he sat pondering his next move.

A small whisper cut the still air and the man yawned in response.

"I know you are there. What is it now? What do you need from me this time?"

The voice grew louder and closer. It was low and rather gruff with a sinister air to it.

"_I don't particularly like this part of your plan, you know. You have the strength, so why not use it? You sit here with the universe at your fingertips, but no true will to try it._"

The man stared blankly into the darkness around him.

"Well, well, well…getting a bit pushy, aren't we? Need I remind you that I am the one in control, not you. I make the orders; I execute the plans. You may have the power but I have the control."

"_But one of the one's I've been watching has found a sword…a very powerful sword...I can feel its strength. It seems so familiar somehow. I warn you, though, they are already planning…_"

"Do you think I care about some rag tag group of misfits? No, I do not. I don't care who found a sword or not. There is no power that can match mine, now. Besides, why are you so afraid of a little blade? It's not as if they could put a scratch on you, is it?"

"_Hmm…your ignorance shall be your downfall. You must watch your step, lest you be destr…_"

The man jumped from his seat, anger sweeping his calm demeanor away.

"I don't need anyone to tell me what I should or should not do! I am the one in control! I have the power and I make the rules. There is no one in this realm that is anywhere near powerful enough to defeat me."

"_Hmm…fine. I shall let this subject rest. However, I still think it is necessary to do something about this._"

"Do not worry yourself. I have already sent a few "minions" to cause a bit of trouble within the marketplace. Whoever this little band of heroes is that you have discovered, they won't be lasting very long."

"_Hmm…as you say…master._"

* * *

The crowd was absolutely stunned. They were powerless to do anything against Braedon and it seemed that he was basking in the glory of that fact. He looked at the cowering mass around him and his grin grew wider than ever.

"What's the matter, people? Are you afraid that you may die today? It's not all that great to have someone else in control of your life, is it? Well, you don't have to worry about anything right now. If you stay put and do what you're told, none of you will get hurt. Remember, though, all I have to do is this…"

Braedon raised his hand in the air and made the same motion to one of his snipers again. The bandit on the roof quickly opened fire on a person standing in the crowd, sending three arrows straight into his skull.

"Oops, was that my fault? I'm sooo sorry, aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I guess I've got to be more careful next time! I can't just go killing all of my hostages, now can I? That would defeat your purpose."

Braedon smiled evilly at the trembling multitude before him. He would surely make the money he had "requested" from the two kingdoms. There was no way they could refuse him now. Even if they did, the money wasn't really his main objective anyway; it was more of an incentive to do this in the first place.

_For some reason, I can't be controlled like the others are…hmm, that gives me an upper hand in this thing. Well, it's not like I'll actually do anything that he doesn't tell me to. He is far more powerful than I. To cross him would be suicide. I'll just have to play it safe for right now and do as I'm told…it is nice to have a completely subservient fighting force at my command, though…this could be interesting._

Link looked at Braedon and, by the expression on his face, it seemed as if he were lost in thought. This could be an opening that needed to be exploited. Link glanced over at Zelda who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. She shook her head, trying to dissuade him from doing anything rash, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up and Link was itching to play the hero once more.

Faster than could be perceived, Link unsheathed his sword and made a bee-line directly for Braedon. He sprinted towards him at a frightening speed and Braedon, along with his men, still unaware of the impending attack, continued to stand in total disregard of their surroundings. Link dug into the ground hard and went into a slide, legs first, directly under all of Braedon's men. He came to a stop right under Braedon, spun his sword so that it faced upward and lunged directly for Braedon's stomach.

The entire thing took only a few seconds, but no one seemed to know what was going on. There was a crack of metal hitting metal. Zelda peered over the crowd to see Link, on the ground, his blade blocked by the one Braedon had unsheathed.

_When did he take out his blade? I didn't even see him do it…it must have been nearly one second for him to that…that's impossible…what am I fighting here?_

Braedon laughed gruffly as he stared down the length of his blade and into Link's eyes. He could see the heroes spirit flowing though him, but, what else was there? What was this malice…this urge to kill…to destroy? It was interesting.

_Hmm…I should probably kill this kid but…there's something about him…a fire in his eyes. He could do some powerful stuff for me and the master._

Braedon looked at Link. "I have never had someone so close to killing me before.

You know, I should probably kill you for trying to do that to me, kid. However, that would violate my personal code. I like to keep those that have enough power to kill me alive so I can make them join me and you…well, you've certainly got the killer instinct. How could I get you to come along and work for me without any fuss?"

Link looked around for a moment. He could save all of these people…all he would have to do is work for these bandits for a while. He could try and escape later…if it meant that these people would be safe…that Zelda could get away…

"If you let all of these people go, unharmed, including the Zora, I'll work for you. No strings attached."

Zelda gasped in horror. She couldn't allow him to do that but, what could she do about it? The crowd began to buzz all around them. It seemed that Braedon was rather amused by Link's proposal. Would he actually accept it, though? Would he let them all go?

"Hmm, you make an interesting bargain…um…what's your name?"

"My name is Link."

"Link, eh? I don't think I can just let go of a whole bunch of hostages that took me such a long time to round up, could I? Wasting a bunch of money and fun just to add a new member to my team…well, that's just bad business sense, isn't it? The problem is that I really want to have you in our little group here…how about this; for now I won't kill you or anyone else in this crowd unless they provoke me or my men in some way. They will all be safe until my little bargain is all over but only if you join me right now. It's your choice but, please, make it quickly. You don't have all day."

Link wasn't sure what to do. If he didn't join them, they would be sure to kill more of the people here. If he did join them, he would only be assured that they would be safe until the allotted time ran out…even then, it wouldn't be a solid bet that he would be able to get away from them once they left this place.

"Tick tock, little warrior, tick tock…you don't have much time left."

_What am I going to do? What should I do? Arg, I never should have tried this in the first place…but I thought I had the perfect opening…now I've screwed everything up. What should I do…WHAT SHOULD I DO!_

Link gazed quickly over at Zelda, looking for some kind of sign as to what he should do. She shook her head quickly, as if to tell him not to join them, but Braedon caught this quick exchange and took advantage of it.

"Oh…it seems you have a friend over here. Well, sometimes it just takes the right bait to get someone to make a deal and…I think I just found yours..."

Braedon made another quick motion to one of his men and, before Link had seen what was happening, Zelda was now kneeling next to him, still covered in her cloak.

"This is what you were looking at, I presume? Well, now that _I_ have a bargaining chip, how about this deal…I won't kill your little friend here if you agree to join my operation."

"But what about the rest of the crowd? Will they be..."

"They are no longer a part of this deal, Link my boy. You gave your hand away a moment ago and you have no more room to bluff. Either you join us and this person lives or you don't and they die. It is now as simple as that. The rest of this crowd no longer factors into the equation. So, how will you choose?"


	20. A Sword Point Shall be his Reward

Author's Note: Hello all! I know that it's been quite a while since I last updated. Sorry for that.  
I had the chapter all ready for release last week and I was just about to hit the chapter post button when it hit me...the chapter was bad.  
Now, I don't mean that the chapter was actually bad but, it just was not up to my standards. I know that the last few chapters have been sort of rushed lately and that has caused a less than awesome reading experience but, I decided to take some good advice on this one and take my time with this chapter. Last week, it just didn't flow into the story very well and I didn't like it. It lacked the flavor that I wanted it to have. So, I rewrote the whole thing. I scrapped the first version completely and redid the whole chapter and it is so much better, if I do say so myself. The feel of it is much more powerful than the original version I had come up with.  
As such, from now on the chapters will probably take a bit longer to complete than they are now. I want this story to be as good as it can be and that may mean you will have to wait anywhere from one to four weeks for a chapter. I am certain, however, that you would rather enjoy a well written and epic story than a shoddy and poorly planned garbage fest. The later would not be worth your time. If you are reading a story, you are investing your time and effort into doing such and the story you read should reciprocate the effort you put in with the effort it puts out.

I am truly hoping that, from this point on, the story really starts to take off and reveal some of its secrets to you. Not directly, mind you, but you will start to learn a thing or two about...well, I can't tell you about what but just know that some questions will began to be answered while more questions are raised in their place. Bigger, more important questions.  
Make sure to check back next week for the next chapter. I already have it written up and ready to go out but...I think I'd like you guys to simmer on this one for a little bit...  
All of the Nintendo characters=Nintendo's property  
everyone else in the story=mine  
Enjoy chapter 20!

* * *

Chapter 20

A Sword Point Shall be his Reward

Link was now stuck with no other options. If he didn't join Braedon, Zelda would surely be killed. If he did join him, she could at least get away and possibly find help. The only thing that had gone right so far was that Braedon hadn't thought to take her hood off. If he knew that she was the princess of Hyrule, there would be no way he would just let her go. Link had to do the only thing he knew he could.

"Fine…I'll join you…but let my friend go…please…that's all that I ask."

"Mu ha ha ha ha ha, well, that got your attention, didn't it? A whole group of people were yours to help and you sat on your decision like a scared little child. Now, I bring in this cloaked nothing and you are all set to lay your life down to me. What a touching display of friendship. Ha ha ha ha ha ha, alright, you belong to me now. You, in the cloak, you can go back into the crowd again."

Zelda looked up in shock. "But, wait, I thought you said I could leave?"

"Oh no no no no no, I said no such thing. I said that if he joined us that I wouldn't kill you…I never said you could just go and leave this fun little gathering we have here."

Zelda was flabbergasted. Link had just given his life up for her, but now she couldn't even go find someone to help him. This was terrible. She couldn't do anything to help him.

"Hey…" Link said to Zelda. "Just go back into the crowd…he can't kill you…he gave me his word that he wouldn't, and that's as good as anything can be for now. There's nothing you can do for me except survive this thing. Please…you have to."

Zelda was hesitant to leave Link's side, but she knew she had to. If she didn't move, Breadon unleash his snipers again. He may even attack Link. She stood up, wrapped her cloak tightly around herself once more, and worked her way back into the thick of the crowd.

"I just pray that the goddesses bring you back safely. May they end this defilement peacefully."

* * *

Zelda had made her way back into the crowd and it seemed that the multitude of people had become restless again. Many wondered if they would actually be allowed to leave. Some knew that they would probably die but all of them wanted to escape.

A young Hyrulian stepped to the front of the crowd. "You can't keep us here forever, you know. Even if you do kill most or all of us, do you think that our respective leaders will let you go in peace? You will likely die before you even reach the drawbridge."

Braedon looked at the man with an air of superiority.

"Don't you think I already know that? Don't you think I have taken that into account already? That is precisely why you are the hostage and I am your captor. I already know something that you seem to need to reiterate. Things like that really tend to get on my nerves and, do you know what happens when something gets on my nerves, sir?"

The man looked at Braedon with wide eyes. He shook his head slowly from side to side, knowing that death would be the only reward for his insolence.

"Well, I generally like to see whatever is bothering me…come to an end."

Braedon raised his hand in the air to signal one of his snipers and unleashed his command. The man cowered on the ground, knowing that death was about to be delivered. Yet, something was wrong. The bowman had not taken the shot that his leader had commanded. The, up until now, infallible sniper had suddenly halted his attacks.

"What's going on?" Braedon commanded. "I ordered you to shoot! You are to do as I say!"

Braedon turned to look at the sniper he had issued the command to, only to find that he was no longer there. Somehow, one of his men had just disappeared and he hadn't noticed it. It was impossible.

Link, along with the entire crowd around him, began to look in wonder as, one by one, the snipers disappeared without a sound. One minuet they would be there…the next they would be gone. What was happening up there…and why weren't the expert bowmen fighting back? What could possibly be happening to drive these men away from their posts?

Braedon was furious. If he didn't have his archers to box in the hostages, there would be no way he would be able to keep them where they were. He had to think of something before all of his bargaining chips decided it would be a good time to run.

As Braedon was lost in his anger, it seemed the crowd knew that this wasn't a part of Breadon's plan. All at once, they began to run in every direction, scattering around the bazaar and out of the castle town.

"No!" Braedon yelled. "I won't allow this!"

Braedon grabbed the sword from his back and grabbed Link by the throat.

"This is your doing, isn't it? I should have killed you when I had the chance! I won't make that mistake again. You will die here by the hand of your new master!"

Braedon pulled his sword back and readied a powerful thrust. Link, still stuck in Braedon's strangle hold, could do nothing but watch as the end of his life hovered only a foot away.

"I still have the zoran prince, so this plan isn't a complete loss. However, your insolence and trickery shall be your demise. Your life shall be the payment of a plan gone awry. Goodbye, little warrior…"

Link grimaced as Braedon brought forth his sword. Knowing that this would be the end, there was nothing he could do now but hope for this world…hope that it didn't succumb to the evil that lurked within the shadows…hope that the world would see the next day…

Breadon's sword came quickly; too fast for Link to truly realize. Before he knew what had happened, the blade had hit its mark. Warm, crimson fluid began to drip down Breadon's blade as he pulled it from Link's chest, a gaping wound left in its place.

Braedon let his hold on Link slip and he fell to his knees. Link held his hands to his wound, blood pouring from his open flesh, in disbelief that he had truly been struck. In all of his adventuring he had never been mortally injured. He had come close to dying a few times but...he had never truly been struck down. It was…a strange sensation. The world around him began to spin, his vision became fuzzy and covered in a white haze, a darkness creeping in around the edges.

It was strange…he had always been told that death was a very cold experience but…he was so warm. It was as if someone had placed him in a sea of sun drenched water, relaxing every part of his being. If this was death, truly, it was better than anything he had yet experienced in life. He felt at peace…almost tired, and he wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep and rest.

He could feel the lethargy starting to steal him away from the battle at hand, his vision growing dimmer and darker with each passing second. He would only rest for a minute…just enough to get his strength back…then he would fight; he would end the battle and be a hero again…yes, that is what he would do.

Link began to sink deeper and deeper into the sweet embrace of death. His body was losing all connection with itself, the life slipping out of his being. He couldn't hold on anymore. Unconsciousness was eating away at his resolve. He was falling…falling…he could hear whispers…voices…

"_Link…die… chosen…_"


	21. They Meet One Another

Author's note: Hello everybody! Sorry that this chapter was a little late. I had the same problem with this one that I did with the last one. I had it all typed out and then it just didn't feel right. I didn't rewrite the whole thing this time (much of it is still intact) but it flows much better now. The dialogue is much less blocky and strained and the overall feel is much better.  
The next chapter will be a little while. I haven't had much time to work on this recently, so it may be a couple weeks before the next one is out.  
Just as a warning, the last part of this chapter is a little bit confusing and it won't make a large amount of sense until much later. What is said, however, must be said here.  
As a note for the characters, I would like to take this opportunity to say a little bit about Breadon. As a character, he is very cool and calm when everything is going his way. However, is something is going wrong, he lets it show with an explosion of anger. Just thought I'd give my take on my own characters character.  
As always, Nintendo characters are Nintendo's while mine are mine.  
CHAPTER 21 IS NOW HERE!

* * *

Chapter 21

They Meet One Another

Zelda, among the heavy crowd when the chaos began, was now stuck being shuffled from place to place by the rush of escaping people around her. She could only watch in horror as Breadon made his strike through Link's chest.

"No…no…how…how could this happen?"

Link was now kneeling in front of Breadon, his body and mind completely out of sync with one another. He was no longer within the realm of Hyrule; he was lost within his dying state. There was nothing he could do to snap himself out of it. Even if he did, it would only mean a rush of terrible pain right before the end. He couldn't save anyone anyway. He had succeeded once before but, even then, he couldn't save everyone. Truly, the heroes' heart is a hard burden to bear.

Zelda tried to get to Link, but it was no use. Too many people were trying to rush in every direction all at once. She had no hope of even taking a step until the crowd dispersed, let alone trying to get to him. There was nothing she could do but watch from the crowd and hope for Link's safety.

Breadon looked down at the, now, crumpled Link that knelt before him. "I should have killed you when I had the chance earlier. It seems that you're rather out of it right now, aren't you? Aw, that's too bad. I guess you won't see your own end…but, maybe that's for the best. I was hoping to cause you at least a little bit of anguish _before_ you died but…I'm sure you'll have enough time to lament as your ghost watches me rip your robed friend in half. Goodbye, foolhardy hero."

Zelda watched in dismay as Braedon raised his sword in the air and brought it down at Link's neck. This would truly be the end. She couldn't watch…she couldn't see it happen…she didn't want to…

_Please! Someone…anyone…help him!_

Suddenly, there was a loud clang of metal hitting metal. Zelda opened her eyes and looked up to see Breadon's sword halted only inches away from Link's neck by an even larger sword lodged, perpendicularly, into the ground.

"GARITH!" Zelda shouted.

Garith had jumped from the roof of one of the buildings around them and, before Braedon could finish Link off, had placed his sword in front of Braedon's, stopping him in mid attack. If not for Garith, Link surely would have been a half foot shorter than he was.

Braedon stared with malice at Garith, studying his sword for a moment.

_That sword…it looks kinda familiar…_

"So, it was you, wasn't it? You were the one killing my archers, huh? Aw, damn, look what you've gone and made me do. I've killed one of my newest recruits. Hahaha, they always did say I had a bit of a 'raging temper'. So, what are you to this kid, a friend, a hired hand?"

Garith stared at Braedon for a moment. "I am a mercenary. I help those who need it and collect my fee. That is all. This one…" Garith pointed at Link. "will cost quite a few rupees."

"Ah, so you're a righteous killer, huh? Well, whatever you've been paid before, I can give you twice that. I have quite a few connections…all you'd have to do is kill a few civilians and such. It should be easy for someone such as you."

Garith looked away for a moment. "You sicken me…be gone, you wretch."

"Hey, don't get all upset with me when you're the one out here selling your morals. I'm not the one…" Breadon stopped for a moment.

'_You sicken me…be gone, you wretch'…where have I heard that before? I know I've heard someone say that to me before…_

Garith, seeing Breadon lost in his own thoughts again, took the opportunity to knock him backward and away from Link.

"Hey, it's not exactly a good idea to interrupt a man's thoughts. That's grounds for execution, where I come from."

"You'll have to get to me first…" Garith said as he pulled a small, circular object from one of his pockets. He took the small sphere and threw it at the ground in front of Breadon. The object began to spew smoke in all directions, blinding the bandit and all of his men.

"Arg! Damn it! A smoke grenade?! I can't see them anymore but, that doesn't matter now. I know who you are! You may look different, but you still act the same. So, are you gonna just run away now...Mr. 'High Horse'?"

Garith, now under the cover of his own smoke grenade, ran over to Link. Zelda had finally made it out of the rushing crowd to come to his side and was trying to heal him. As the princess of Hyrule, she had been under the tutelage of many different instructors for many different things. She had been taught everything from table manners to horseback riding. She had always excelled at the various tasks but, recently, she had started learning about magic. Her father found her someone to study under, but she just didn't have the magical prowess of her teacher nor did she have the vast amounts of wisdom needed to wield such powerful arts. She looked up at Garith as he came to her, tears streaming down her face.

"Garith…thank the goddesses that you've come. You saved a lot of those people, you know. The kingdom is in your debt"

"Yea, tell me about it. Your father's gonna owe me a pretty penny when we get outta here. Then you really will be in debt…"

Garith looked at Link's crippled body laid out before him. He was losing a large amount of blood and, if something wasn't done quickly, Link would surely die. Even at this point in time, Garith didn't know if he would be able to keep him alive. He could only hope that he could. He would need him alive in order for his plan to succeed. There would be no way he would be able to get the princess to go anywhere if she didn't have her 'fearless warrior' by her side. He needed it to seem as if she went along with him of her own free will. That would reduce problems later. Though, right now, he had to think about Link. There was only one thing that he could use to try and heal his wound…

_Then again, even its strength may not be enough and what if…_

Garith reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small bottle of clear liquid.

"Zelda, can you pull his tunic away from the wound? For this to work, it needs to contact the flesh directly."

Zelda nodded and did as Garith instructed. He uncorked the bottle of the clear fluid and began to carefully pour it over the open gash. As it hit Link's wound it began to smoke, as if it were evaporating as it touched the torn flesh.

"Garith…what is that?"

Garith did not look up. "This is a liquid extracted from the Valusius cactus. It is a very rare plant that can only be found in the very heart of the Gerudo desert…needless to say, it's very hard to find…and for good reason. The healing power of this liquid is amazing…"

Garith stood and put the bottle back in his pocket.

"You have to give it some time, but it should work. I can only hope that he isn't too far gone already. This stuff can heal him, but it has limitations. Based on his injury, I'd say he has about a sixty percent chance of dying anyway. All you can do is watch over him for now…"

* * *

Breadon was becoming impatient. "Are ya gonna stand and fight me, you coward? Or are your little smoke bombs going to do the talking for you? No one gets away from Grecon Breadon, no one!"

Garith stared into the smoke as it began to clear away. "I still have something that I need to take care of here. You stay with Link and see to it that he recovers. Oh, and by the way, this one's on the house."

With that, Garith jumped into the ever thinning smoke. It wouldn't be too long before the entire shroud was gone. Garith had to fight quickly or Breadon might decide to attack someone other than him.

"So," Braedon said as Garith moved toward him. "You've finally decided to join the fun, have you? I've wanted a chance to fight you on even ground since we first met."

"Do you really think you have any chance? You don't have anyone to help you this time…do you really think _you_ are powerful enough to defeat _me_?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter what I think, does it? If I win, I win. If I lose…well, I'll probably be dead so I won't care. The only thing for me to do is try to take you out of the picture. My leader doesn't have to know about it. He would just have to know that you didn't succeed on your little mission. Then…well…I guess your deal would be void wouldn't it? It's not like he'd be able to recognize you right now, though. Don't you think so…_Nadrin_?"

Garith looked at Breadon, keeping his demeanor calm and cool. "So…how did you figure it out, huh? When did I give myself away? Was it something I said?"

"Well…it wasn't that hard to put together, really. The sword was what first tipped me off…then it was what you happened to say to me. That's exactly the same thing you said to me that day..."

"You know…it's not exactly a good thing to blow someone's cover like that. If someone was trying to conceal their identity…well…I don't think you should be spouting what their true identity is out to the masses. That is, if you have any idea what would benefit you. Although…you've already sealed your fate by working for that garbage you call a master…"

"My master has nothing to do with this. I just figure I could save him a few steps by doing your job for you…and putting you out of the picture in the process."

"Maybe you should stop speaking with daggers on your tongue and let the edge of your sword do the talking. Come…my blade shall not await an answer…"

* * *

Link was floating within a sea of light. The air all around him was warm and comforting. He wasn't quite sure how he had gotten to his current location, but that didn't matter to him at all. He was completely relaxed, totally at peace.

As Link glided through the vast, open expanse, he saw a small island in the middle of it. It seemed to be the only solid thing that he could see. In fact…it was the only _thing_ for what seemed like miles to Link. He began to be drawn to it, almost as if he were caught within a current, but there was no water around him at all.

Link was floating down the stream of light when he began to hear small voices. They were low and hard to hear. They were trying to speak to Link.

_"Li...nk...Lin...k...Link..."_

As he drew closer and closer to the small, solid surface, he could see a figure perched on top of it. It was tall, standing erect, and dressed in long brownish- orange robes with a red sash going down the front and off to the sides. There was an emblem on the front that displayed three golden triangles built in a pyramid fashion.

_The Triforce! Could it really be…_

Link was now close enough to the figure to fully recognize it.

"Rauru…is…is it really you?"

The figure looked over at Link as he ascended onto the small mound of material. Its piercing blue eyes seemed to stare right through him.

"I am not who you think I am, young one…this Rauru must be a source of great wisdom to you. Your mind has given me this shape and given rise to this place."

"Wh…why am I…"'

"Why are you here, you ask? You are here for the same reason that I am here. You must realize what that is before it is too late."

"What do you mean "too late"?"

The figure continued its constant stare, its eyes cutting into Link like knives into soft flesh. "I am only here to guide you toward a path. Continue upon the one you are on and many will be lost. Go back the way you came and you might be swept away. Do you understand?"

"No…I…I don't…and, who are you anyway?"

"As I have said, I am a messenger. I was sent here for you and you alone. I have been around for many, many years, waiting for one that would be able to give me shape and form…one that would need me."

Link looked at the image of Rauru reflected by the strange messenger. "So…you are here to "send me on a path" but, what does that mean?"

"Should you go the way you came, you shall learn that truth in time. Should you choose the walk of the abyss…you shall never know. It is your decision. I am only here to help guide you. I can not decide for you. Just know that many lives rest upon your decision and, for you, it is now time to choose…make your decision."


	22. Battle of the Two Swordsmen

Author's Note: Okay, so I am finally done with school until the middle of January. I should be able to post much more than I have been fince starting school in August. Thank you all for bearing with me until now.  
On such a note, I would like to express my displeasure with the chapter at hand. I really don't think this is very good at all, yet I have re-worked almost four times. Unfortunatly, this chapter has to happen. If you do not like it, that is fine. The dialogue was rather difficult this time around as I was trying to show a relationship between two characters where, one of them, you really don't know much about. Trust me, it will all make sense in a few chapters. I figured I should just stop poring over this chapter and let it roam free to be smited by my audience (don't smite it too bad...I still need it for later...). However, I did have a large amount of fun with the very vauge spitrit. I always wanted to work with a character like it. Even if you think it's annoying, that's what I was going for. I want you to feel the way Link does...lost and confused.  
By my marker, we are about half way through this little journey of ours and, sorry to say, you all still know nothing. I have yet to reveal anything tryly solid but, rest assured, we are shambling our way there. It is almost time for the big reveals...and they will hit you all at once.  
Just as a bit of a plug, I assume that if you are reading this, then you must like the Ocarina of Time a great deal. If that is the truth, then you must also like the music. If this statement is also true, go to youtube and look up the user **_docjazz4_**. He is, as one of his fans put it, and expert "ocarinist". His renditions of the ocarina songs from the zelda series are truly amazing (especially his version of the song of healing from Majora's Mask). I urge everyone here to check him out. You will be glad you did.  
Well, enough of the shameless plugs for people I don't even know!  
ON TO CHAPTER 22!

* * *

Chapter 22

Battle of the Two Swordsmen

Link wasn't sure what he should do. He wasn't even sure where he was or how he had gotten there, but his mind was clearer now. He could think without all of the haziness that had been clouding his thoughts earlier. He looked at the projection of Rauru in front of him.

"Do you have a name? Should I just call you Rauru because you resemble him?"

"I am known by many names, while I am also known by none. You shall call me what you wish. If it comforts you to see me as a shadow of another than in my true form, so be it. I shall not hide myself from you. I shall not tell you anything you do not ask. I am only a guide. I am not here to move you. Your decisions are your own. I can have no opinion."

"Can you tell me…where I am…"

"You are where you began. You are not in a different place than when you got here. You are still within the same place as you once were."

"Well, could you tell me anything at all that would be more helpful? I have to make some kind of a choice, but I can't do anything if I don't have a clue what's going on."

"There are many things that you do not know that I already do. There are things that you must do that you do not know of. I cannot tell you of these things. They are not yet for you to know."

Link was becoming aggravated. He had asked 'Rauru' very simple questions, yet every one of them had been dodged with a mastery that escaped words. It hadn't told Link anything that he considered important and, by no means, had it answered his questions at all. Either it didn't want Link to know anything…or it thought he didn't.

Link tried to think back to what had happened to him before he had ended up in this world of white. He remembered the feeling of being warm and the sensation of floating but, beyond that, there was nothing. He knew that something had happened to him before this whole ordeal…but he just couldn't remember anything right before he came to this place. The haziness was gone but his memory was just not there.

"Your decision…" the figure said coldly. "shall not be awaited much longer."

_Aug! What happened to me? I know something transpired before this, but it's like my memory is being blocked…it's like…it's like I'm being…_

"Tested?" said the shadow of Rauru. "If that is what you think, then you must already know. Your mind is blank…trust in your instincts to make a choice. That is the only way you will be able to choose. Your decision must be pure."

Link sat on the small mound of material underneath him. He had no idea what kind of decision he was making, but it felt like it was more important than anything he had ever done. There was no point in trying to remember why he was in this place. He was being tested for some reason and, apparently, for his choice to remain "pure", he would have to make his decision based upon his instincts alone.

Link closed his eyes and let his mind go. He was trying to tap into the heroic instincts that he knew were still inside of him, the ones he had used in so many life or death situations before. He would have to tap into all of his strength.

"Trust in the hero's will. It shall guide you to your truth."

Just then Link's eyes shot open. He jumped to his feet and threw his whole body into the white nothingness that surrounded him and started to propel himself back the way he had come in the first place. He didn't know why, but every part of his being was pushing him in that direction. He could not ignore that.

As he got farther and farther away from the tiny island, the voice of the shadow Rauru began to ring out all around him.

"You have chosen the path of return. What once was lost will now be put back and be whole again. Your decision was true and your choice correct. This path will lead you back…back to the ones you care about…back to the ones you must protect. May the hero's will be your guide..."

As the being finished speaking, Link's left hand began to glow a bright yellow. Soon, his entire body was enveloped in light as he was carried further and further into the ever brightening light.

* * *

Zelda sat on the ground next to Link, hoping that his wounds would heal. It had been such a long time since he had fallen unconscious that she was almost sure he would not wake up. His wounds were extensive and the blood loss was immense. Would he really be able to recover from something like this?

_Please awaken, Link. There is still so much that we have to do. Someone has to save your friend Malon. We all promised her father that we would...I don't know if I could save her on my own and…I still don't trust Garith…You have to come back. You have to…_

Link's breathing was labored and slow, but it was still constant. Just this little bit was enough to give Zelda courage for his eventual return.

_There is so much that we still must do. Please...please wake up Link...you have to...you have to..._

* * *

Garith and Breadon stood facing each other, swords drawn and ready to strike the other one down. The air was thick, almost suffocating, with the hatred that each fighter had for the other. Garith brought his sword to the ground, stuck it into the cold stone underfoot and leaned on it.

"Is that all you have? Are you not holding back? If this is all that you can muster, you truly are no match for me. Give up, unless you want me to kill you now."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha...you speak too highly of yourself, Nadrin. I have yet to even start fighting. When I do…you'll know."

"Then come, show me this power of yours that you seem to think you have. I won't let you kill either of those two. I _need_ them. I won't let you lay a finger on them."

"Mmm hmm hmm…we'll see about that."

Breadon readied his sword and bent his legs into a fighting stance. Garith, seeing Breadon ready his attack, pulled his own sword from the ground and laid it on his back, perfectly parallel to the ground. His knees were slightly bent with one of his arms kept to his side, ready to be used for an attack.

Garith and Breadon stayed in their respective stances, ready and waiting for the others first attack so that they could be the first to counter attack. Neither one moved. Like stone statues, they stood, glaring at one another from across the square of the castle town.

"One of us will have to break this stalemate, Nadrin."

"You're more than capable of doing so, Grecon. Or are your skills with a blade less than you claim them to be?"

"Oh ho? Look at the big, bad swordsman trying get me to lash out in a foolhardy attack. No such luck my friend…"

"I think we both know how this has to begin, then."

"Hmm hmm hmm…I thought you would say something like that…"

In the blink of an eye, both men had dashed into an attack. Their swords clashed together, sparks flying from both blades from the immense power of the blows. Neither seemed to have the upper hand and neither seemed to want to give any slack to the other. This was a battle of pride, a battle for life…a battle to the death.

Both Garith and Breadon broke away from the clash and readied another attack. Garith raised his sword above his head and gripped it with both hands. Breadon lowered his sword to the level of his knees and leaned his body forward. Both fighters dashed forward and clashed again, neither giving way to the other.

Garith began to furiously strike at Breadon from all directions. His onslaught was terrifying to behold and, after quite a few strikes, it seemed that Breadon's defense was begining to crumble. The strength of Garith's assault was too great.

The zoran prince, still under guard by Breadon's men, stared at the spectacle in disbelief. How could one man be so powerful? Who was he?

_Is he really trying to save me? If not, what **is** he doing?_

It seemed that Garith had finally worn Breadon down to the breaking point. His blocks were getting slower and sloppier. It would only be a matter of time before he broke through. Then he would do it…he would take his revenge…he would be this man's end.

Garith brought his sword over his head and brought it down upon Breadon's waiting guard. Breadon's block, however, was not enough. He was knocked onto the ground and disarmed. He was helpless against Garith who brought the tip of his sword to Breadon's neck. He looked around for a moment and then smiled up at Garith from his kneeling position.

"You know…it's always good to have an ace up your sleeve…and I think I still have one…"

Breadon made a small motion with his hand and, in seconds, both men were surrounded by Breadon's remaining archers. Each one had his bow and arrow drawn and every one of them was aimed at Garith.

"Hmm hmm hmm…gotta have another plan in mind if the first one goes south. I guess, in a sense, you won this battle, Nadrin. Then again, the winner doesn't usually die, do they?"

Garith kept his sword to Breadon and stood ready for an attack. Breadon laughed wildly. He could not contain his glee.

"Fire…"


	23. Unknown Visions

Author's Note: Hello everyone! It seems that I have been away for quite a while, but I am back now with this brand new chapter for you. I am hoping this one is a good one because I got NO reviews on my last chapter! That's right, NONE! Since I didn't get any input on the last one, I will assume that the chapter was mostly good and pretty much devoid of any typos, so no one decided to bring them up.

Now, on to other business. I have taken some time and finally completed the first part of my (hopefully) three part "Heroes End" poem series and it should be posted shortly. I hope you will all take a look at it once it is up.  
I don't know when I will have the time to update from now on. All I know is that I will just update whenever I get the chapter done and no longer specifically on Wednesdays. If you would like to know when the chapters are released, I suggest setting this story on your alert list. That way, you will be assured to know when the story is updated.

I would like to take this little space to thank **thehighroller1**. You are the first person to favorite me as an author! I appreciate the recognition from you, so I am giving it back to you in return. (If you'd like me to remove this section for any reason, please PM me so I can do so)

Since I am giving out thanks in this note, I would also like to thank **Cloudrunner Sparty** for his continuously helpful reviews during my authorship of this story. Thanks to him, this written adventure has become more grammatically correct and, overall, better. So, a thank you goes out to you as well. (Again, should you want this removed, please PM me).

Well, I guess its time for the chapter. On to number 23!

* * *

Chapter 23

Unknown Visions

All at once, arrows began to fly at Garith from every direction. There was no way that he could dodge them all, but he had to do something. There were so many people who were depending on him…he couldn't let them down. If only he could ward off the attack…

The arrows flew at Garith quickly. He didn't have any time to defend himself properly, so the only thing to do was jump an hope to dodge the attack that way. With his sword in the ground, Garith jumped on top of the large hilt and thrust himself into the air, arrows whizzing past him, coming from all directions. One of the arrows pierced his right leg and blood began to seep through his large leather boot. Garith made a small growl of pain and landed back to the ground, roughly, on his left leg.

"You bastards…Grrr!"

Garith ripped his sword from the ground as the archers reloaded their bows and, with one huge spin, created a mighty whirlwind that blew them all to the ground. As they lay upon the dirt around him, Garith, limping from the wound to his leg, slowly approached Breadon. He ripped the arrow out of his leg and pointed the tip in Breadon's face.

"Ironic, isn't it? You've probably killed many souls with these arrows at your command…how does it feel to be staring one in the face. Hmm, I _had_ hoped that I would be the one to kill you after the atrocities that you committed to so many innocent people. None of them…none of them deserved the end that you gave them. I can't even stand to have you in my sight."

Breadon, knowing that he had nothing more to shield him from his demise, knelt at Garith's feet, defeated.

"I guess you'll finally be able to kill me, huh? If you do kill me, it means nothing. Just because I'm out of the way, it doesn't mean that you're any closer to your goals. Do you really think my master will give you what you want? Do you think he'll keep his part of the bargain? If you do, then you're more of a fool than I thought you were. I know him much better than you do…and he's not the only one out there that you need to look out for. There are others around as well that are more than capable of doing what he can't…"

"Shut your mouth. I will do what I must to reclaim what I have lost. If that means killing you, I will. If it means killing your master, I shall do it. If it means killing everyone else…so be it. Goodbye, you evil bastard…"

"Hm hm hm…goodbye...Nadrin..."

With that, Garith lifted the arrow into the air and plunged it into Breadon's heart. He let go of the arrow, took up his sword and thrust it through Bradon's midsection. He sputtered and coughed, blood pouring from his mouth.

"We…are…all…and we…are…one…"

Breadon wheezed, gasping for breath, but the only thing filling his lungs was blood.

"You shall speak no more…"

* * *

"_Master…master, I believe one of your pawns, Breadon, has just died._"

"Hmm…is that so? It is of no consequence. Breadon was only a small sapling within a forest of others. My plans shall not cease because one of my trees has been felled for sacrifice. Besides, my eyes and ears have yet to be discovered. I shall continue on with my plans."

"_Yes, master, as you say but, do you not think that your plan may not come to fruition? Just because you made…_"

"If you are questioning whether one of my pawns will be compliant, I have no doubt that he will be. He may resist now, but he will soon lose his ability to. Besides, as you were about to say, I _made_ him. He cannot disobey me, even if he wanted to. Muha ha ha ha ha…"

"_Shall I recall all of the rest of the pawns that we gave to Breadon?_"

"Yes…we'll need them later."

* * *

The light began to fade around Link. Slowly, the outline of Hyrule Castle town came back into view.

_Good, I'm back. I need to find Zelda and Garith so we can get out of here..._

Link, now on his feet, gazed at the world before him and noticed that something was wrong. He had no wounds on himself at all. He had been struck through the chest by the bandit leader, he could remember that now. Not only that but, there were no people around…the whole town was completely devoid of life. There should have been someone…anyone, around even if it were just one of the bandits.

As Link stood in the middle of the empty stone street, things around him began to change. The buildings began to crumble to the ground and ignite in flame. There was fire all around him, everywhere. He could hear people yelling, screaming, in pain. Evil laughter began to flood his ears. It was the worst thing Link had ever heard. There was so much pain and suffering, crushing him from all directions. His ears were ringing from the pure despair surrounding him. He clasped his hands over them and fell to his knees, wishing it would cease. His head was spinning, he felt as though he was going to pass out. Then…it all stopped.

Link got back upon his feet slowly and uncovered his ears. His head still hurt, but he was no longer in agony. The world went out of focus and blurred all around him, as if someone had thrust a piece of smoked glass in front of his eyes. As it returned to normal, the burning world came back into sight but, this time, there was no screaming. He could see a figure running toward him from the direction of the castle.

All of a sudden, he could see that it was Zelda. She was yelling something to him, but he was too far away to hear her. He started to run toward her and he could hear that she was screaming at him.

"Link! Link, you have to get out of here! Go back to the sacred realm! The sages are there! They can help you!"

_What is she talking about? How did Hyrule get like this? I don't understand…what is going on here?_

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two black figures appeared behind Zelda.

"ZELDA, LOOK OUT!"

Zelda did not deviate from her path. It was almost as if she hadn't heard him. The figures grabbed her and began to drag her away toward the Temple of Time. Link could hear a voice ring out across the square.

"Yes, bring her to me! This will be the end of your fruitless struggle against my power. You should not have thought I would be defeated so easily. Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha! Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Soon, I shall escape this wretched place and there is nothing anyone will be able to do to stop me, for I have discovered a power that is unlike any other! Bring the green one to me, as well. I have plans for him…"

Just as the voice faded, black shadows rose out of the darkness and surrounded Link. They pounced on him like an animal hungry for a meal. He felt himself being pulled, helplessly flailing about, into the blackness around him.

"Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

Suddenly, everything stopped. There was no noise, no grabbing, no pulling, no creatures, no voices, no Hyrule. Everything was silent and dark once again. Link was speechless. He had no idea what had just happened.

_What was that? It was like a dream but…it felt so real…_

A light appeared in the distance. It looked almost like a small door, but Link couldn't be sure. He began to walk toward it. As he approached, the light became wider and wider until it was the size of a small tunnel. Link looked around for a moment and realized that the tunnel was the only thing inside the dark expanse. It seemed that the one choice Link had was to enter the light and find out where it would lead him.

"Here goes nothing…"

* * *

Link opened his eyes. His vision was a bit fuzzy but he could see Zelda kneeling over him. He moved his head slightly, stretching his neck from its recent bout of inactivity. Zelda gasped and her face immediately shown with relief. He tried to get up but his wounds seared with pain.

"Oh, thank the goddesses you're alright! Don't try to move too much. Your wound has only just healed."

Garith limped over to Link and, he too, knelt at his side.

"I'm glad you made it through that, kid. I'm pretty sure our little princess would have been mighty sad had you given up the ghost. Besides, isn't there that little matter in the desert we need to take care of? Can't rescue your little friend when you're a corpse, now can ya? Now that those archers are gone we can get on our way."

Link let out a small and labored laugh. His entire midsection was sore and he could barely move, but it seemed that he was alive and that was all that mattered.

Garith extended his hand to Link and beckoned him to take it. He lifted Link to his feet and steadied him. It was no small task for him to be standing in his condition.

"Garith?! Do you really think it's a good idea to make him stand and walk when he's only just recovered? We should let him rest first…and your leg is injured too...maybe we should..."

"Maybe…" Garith said in a gruff tone. "we can rest when we get out of here and there's no risk of you getting caught, little miss princess. If you'll remember correctly, the guards are still looking for you. Before that, though, I think there's a little something you need to take care of over there."

Garith pointed to the Zoran prince who had been abandoned in the retreat of the bandits.

Garith looked at Zelda. "I think you might have something you'd like to talk with him about. Hurry up! Be quick about it, now!"

Zelda nodded and walked over to the prince.

"She's quite the girl, that one is. You know, she never left your side for one second while you were unconscious, even with the threat of being injured by the bandits. You don't see things like that among people who don't know each other that well..."

"So, what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. It's just that, in my travels, I've found that, when people do something like that, it means one of two things: either the person wants to use you for something, or they have some sort of feelings, friendship or…otherwise, for you."

"So," Link said dryly. "you saved my life when you didn't know me. Tell me, Garith, which category do you fall into?"

Garith kept silent and continued to watch Zelda. She had gotten over to the prince and had begun to heal his wounds. Her magic was weak, too weak to have healed Link, but it was strong enough to fix the prince's menial injuries. The prince looked at Zelda, not realizing who she was.

"Who are you? Why are you healing me? No common person should have magical abilities. As the prince of the Zora, I demand you remove your hood and show yourself to me at once!"

Zelda nodded and drew back her hood, exposing her face to the light. The prince squinted at her for a moment. He couldn't tell who she was at first. It took him a moment, but he soon realized whom it was he was looking at.

"P…Princess Zelda? What are you doing outside of the castle? More importantly, what are you doing with those two?"

"Those two…" she said. "are helping to save this kingdom and, by the looks of it, you as well. Then again, you never have changed, have you Prince Ratu? You've always thought of the Zoran tribe as a higher race than any of the others of Hyrule. Why should you possibly think some lower creature could have saved your life? Tell me if I have that wrong, Ratu?"

The prince shot a glare at Zelda but quickly thought better of it. She had called him upon one of his most well known vices. It had always been his prejudices that had kept him at arms length of the other tribes of Hyrule. Gerudo, Hylian, Goron, they were all beneath the Zora. That is what he had always thought. However, he had just been saved by some of these "lesser beings"…he owed them at least his courtesy. Perhaps his views were not as correct as he had thought.

"You are right, Zelda. My prejudices against the other races that inhabit this land have, as I have seen very recently, been misplaced, it would seem. We Zora are not...immune to the trappings of evil. We are the same as all of the other races. After being sold out to that wretched bandit by one of my own men…my understanding is clearer now. Every clan of people has their evil. No one is perfect…no one…"

Zelda stood up and extended her hand to the prince. He took it, stood himself up, and inspected his, now healed, wounds.

"Zelda," the prince said quietly. "I would like to re-negotiate the river treaty, if you would be so kind. I think your actions and the actions of your men here today have restored my confidence in the Hylian's, as well as the other races, and given me new insight into my own beliefs. You may use our river as you see fit, if you are willing to give us your aid should we request it. It seems that this land is about to become much more violent than it has been of late and I believe we will need as much help as we can get. I will send one of my emissaries to the castle to draw up the final negotiations. There is no need to worry of my father's approval, either. As his son, he trusts my judgment unquestioningly. I…I give you my thanks, princess of the Hylians."

Zelda nodded and bowed to the prince, to which he, rather slowly, reciprocated. She walked back over to Link and Garith, replacing her hood upon her head as a squad of Zoran soldiers entered the castle town.

"Prince!" one of the soldiers yelled. "Prince Ratu! Are you here?"

"I'm over here…the bandits have fled and I am unharmed."

The soldiers looked around in surprise. There were no people around except for two men, a hooded woman and the dead body of the bandit leader.

"P…prince…did…did you do this?"

"No…It was those three that risked their lives to save mine. I and countless others owe them our gratitude for granting us our lives."

The leader of the Zoran squad walked over to Link, Zelda and Garith and shook each of their hands.

"We are in your debt. The entirety of the Zoran nation thanks you. Prince Ratu is the only one left in the royal lineage, save for his father, the king. Without him, we would lose the bloodline that has governed our land to prosperity for so many years. Do not allow the prince's belief's to make you think any less of the Zora. Not all of us share his ideals in the superiority of race. Thank you all."

With that, all of the Zora walked across the drawbridge that led out of the town and began their trek back to the river.


	24. A Quick Recovery

Author's note: Hey all! It seems that I have come back from the dead and what should I do but write up a new chapter for all of my readers.  
I am going to be honest with all of you, though. I don't think this chapter is very good. It's mostly a transitional chapter into the next chapter that I am going to write for you all. However, seeing as it has been almost two months since my last update, I figure a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing, right?  
I am sorry that I've been gone so long but I have been incredibly busy with school type activities over that past few months. Sadly, I have also had a severe case of writers block. Its gotten so bad that my writing seems to have deteriorated a little bit. No worries, though. I have spent numerous hours on this chapter to buff up the dialogue and some other aspects of the chapter. It should, at the very least, be readable.  
I also posted the first part of my new Heroes End saga a month or two back so, if any of you like Zelda (I know you do) and poetry (some of you might, right?) please go check it out.  
So, without any more waiting, please enjoy Chapter 24!

* * *

Chapter 24

A Quick Recovery

Zelda, Link and Garith were now the only people left within the castle town square. Everyone else had escaped during the chaos with the bandits and it seemed that none of them would be coming back anytime soon.

"Well," Garith said. "I don't think we have to worry about the guards for a while. With all the crap that happened with the bandits, all of the royal forces should be out looking for their citizens to tell 'em it's safe to return. They'll probably resume their search for you but, by the time they do, we'll be long gone…"

Link was still being held up on his feet by Garith, but it seemed that his wound had fully healed. He didn't even feel like it was causing him pain anymore. He stared in wonder at his now fully repaired flesh. There was barely even a scar…how was it possible?

Link motioned for Garith to release his grip. He prodded his completely mended torso, wondering if it was truly repaired. He had been privy to illusions before on his past adventures but this…this was incredible.

"Make sure not to over tax yourself" Garith said gruffly. "You've only just healed. The power of the Valusius Cactus is incredible but it still has its limits. I'm surprised its actually healed you as much as it has…"

Zelda looked at Garith. "This cactus…you said you found it in the desert, right?"

"Yes…my people know its strength very well. It can not only heal almost all wounds but, when applied, it stimulates blood production. Any blood that was lost by the injury that was incurred will be replaced in a matter of minuets. It's considered a miracle plant within the borders of our land."

"Where exactly," Zelda said in an incredulous tone. "is your country? Where is it that you hail from, Garith?"

"Why do you need to know? I told you that you don't need to know the details of my origin. I am simply here until I get paid. The more work I do for you, the more rupees I rake in. I don't really feel that either of you are in a position where you need to the story of my origin or the information pertaining to my whereabouts just because I'm helping you…that being said, for now, I'm in your employ and on your side. I will protect you because…that's my job."

Zelda thought about pursuing the information she wanted but it seemed that Garith was no longer in any mood to answer questions. He still hadn't given her any reason not to trust him. He had just healed Link completely with a very rare liquid, he had been the major force responsible for saving the entire citizenship of her kingdom…she should at least give him the courtesy of some privacy when it came to a topic he didn't want to divulge. Maybe he would tell them in time but, for now, it really wasn't important. She quietly nodded and conceded her loss in silence.

Now free of Link's weight and Zelda's probing, Garith walked over to the casualties caused by the bandits attack. He knelt next to the dead healer and began to rout around in his pockets and pulled out a small leather pouch. He opened it up and found a small sum of rupees. Zelda looked at him in shock.

"Garith! What are you doing?! Don't you have any respect for the dead?"

Garith smiled at her. "Hm hm hm…I'm not relieving them of anything that they would miss in death. Why leave their valuables here, letting them go to waste. I could use them much more effectively and, besides, since they have technically become inanimate in public, they, along with anything else on them, is now is public property. I, miss princess, am a part of the public, am I not?"

Garith smirked and continued to peruse the fresh corpses on the ground, searching them for anything that might be considered valuable. Zelda could only watch in disgust as Garith took anything that had belonged to the three men who lay on the ground, dead.

"I expect Breadon had a good amount of rupees on him. That bastard could never resist any amount of cash, even if he had to kill innocent people for it…bloated pig…"

Garith routed through Breadon's pockets and produced a wallet filled to the brim with rupees. As he picked through it Link could see every denomination of rupee under the sun. Green, blue, red, purple, orange, silver…if it was a rupee, it was in there.

"Quite a collection he had here. This should be more than enough to cover my fee for this little side bar mission. Never thought _he_ would be the one that'd be paying me though…"

Garith stood and straightened out his back. He turned and looked at Link and Zelda.

"Well, I think we oughta be on our way. I believe we've wasted enough time on this little trip to the city. You found a weapon, I see?"

Link glanced at the sword on his back. "Yeah…I did but…we're gonna have to take another detour if I want to keep it…I made a deal with a local shop owner for this sword. He said he wouldn't charge me for it if I could give him something in exchange."

"Well," Zelda asked. "What does he want for it?"

"He said that he wanted me to bring his the soul of a dark poe. At least, that's what he called it. He gave me this lantern as way of luring and capturing it."

Link produced the dark colored lantern that Fraling had given him. The little bit of the poe's soul blazed inside its small metal cage. Link watched the dark bit of matter dance within its prison. For some reason, it seemed so mesmerizing…Link couldn't stop watching it. He took the lantern and put it away.

"The shop owner said that if I take it toward the desert, it should cause the dark poe to reveal itself. I have to fight it, defeat it, and then bring it to him inside the lantern. If I can do that, he'll let me keep the sword for no charge. I intend to get that poe as soon as Malon is safe. Speaking of which, Zelda, did you find someone to help Talon?"

"Yes, I did actually. I sent her over to the ranch before the whole situation with the bandits got started. Hopefully she's already healed him."

Link let out a sigh of relief. "Good…I hope he'll be alright. I'm sure he'll be okay. I trust your judgment."

"Well," Garith said. "I think, since it seems that we've got everything covered, we should be on our way. I believe we've done enough good deeds for the day…"

Garith began to walk toward the drawbridge that led to Hyrule Field, followed by Link and Zelda. The green grass of the open expanse was a welcome change from the grey stone of the castle town. As they entered the field a hunched old woman approached them from the direction of Lon Lon Ranch.

"Well, hello again Princess." Migroti said with a smile. "I would have thought that you'd have left here quite a long time ago. What happened to the important things that you had to take care of?"

"Hello, Migroti. We were held up by a hostage situation with a group of bandits that had captured the price of the zora. We got involved and, unfortunately my friend, here, was injured by the bandit leader."

Migroti's eyes met the large slash in Link's tunic. "That's quite the wound…would you like me to take a look at it for you?"

"No…I'm okay. It feels like it's healed over. I should be fine."

Migroti's eyes narrowed as she looked at the cut in Link's tunic.

"Well…if you say so. Oh, by the way, princess…I was able to get to Talon in time to help him. He's unconscious now and should be for a while. He needs a lot of time to heal completely but he should be fine in a few weeks. However, I think he might want to see his daughter when he wakes up. I think you lot might want to get on to doing that."

With that Migroti, carrying her large leather medicine bag along at her side, crossed the bridge to the castle town and back toward her shop leaving Link, Zelda and Garith at the entrance to Hyrule Field, alone.

"Well," Link said. "it's good to know that Talon's alright but we don't have any time to stand here and be grateful that he's okay. We have to get to the desert and get Malon back from Ingo. We should be able get close to the desert before it gets dark. We've wasted too much time here already…"

Garith and Zelda nodded and the three set off into the vast expanse of Hyrule Field. The sun was already settled in the western portion of the sky, a sign that the day was mostly over. Link wasn't sure how much time had actually elapsed but, taking the position of the sun into account, it seemed that a good amount of the day had gone away during the fight.

"So…so what happened while I was out? How did the situation with the bandits end?"

"Well…" Garith said. "While you were having your little conversation with Breadon, I took the opportunity to kill a few of his archers. I figured that if I could get rid of them, the hostage situation would pretty much end. Without his bowmen Breadon, himself, would be the only real threat to any of the people he had rounded up and, with a bunch of crazed citizens running for safety, there would be little he could do by himself to keep the situation in his favor. After I dispatched his little minions, I fought and killed him. He was far weaker than I thought him to be…guess that's why he had to rely on cheap tactics to move along his agenda…"

The three continued to walk in silence across the green and darkening field. Link stared ahead of himself, blankly, still lost in his thoughts of what he had seen while he was unconscious. None of it seemed to make any sense to him. The fires, the creatures…that voice…

_I guess it was all just a hallucination from the loss of blood but…it all seemed so real…no…it was just a dream._

"Well," Garith said. "I think we might want to think about stopping here for the night. We've had a long day and we need some time to recover. We won't get anywhere if we try to traverse the desert in the dark."

Zelda and Link both nodded as each one settled into the soft green grass where they would spend the night. The sun had gone down and a full moon began to creep across the jet black sky.

_Tomorrow…_Link thought. _I'll get you back Malon. I'm going to save you. Just you wait._


	25. Recollection

Author's note: Hello everyone! I've been away for a long time again. Sorry about the wait but this chapter took me a little while with all of my finals and things to worry about. Now that it's summer, chapters should be out a little more regularly. I won't promise anything but I'll give it my best shot with the time that I do have. I've got a couple of other fanfic projects in the works as well as a full fledged novel, so my brain power has been split among all of those things. I'm going to do my best to bring quality work to you all and hope that you continue to read my stories.

Well I guess, without anymore further interruptions, it is time for chapter 25!  
Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 25  
Recollection

The moon was sluggishly moving its way across the darkened landscape of Hyrule. Garith lay in the grass next to Link and Zelda, watching its celestial crawl. Quietly, he got up and walked over to a small hill that overlooked Lake Hylia. The light of the moon reflected off of the surface of the water and illuminated all of the area that surrounded it.

"The moon always could bring you out into the night…"

Garith did not move an inch. "Ralboru…why am I not surprised to be receiving another visit from you? I'm sure I know why you're here but, just to be clear, why don't you state your business?"

Ralboru, dressed in her black cloak, stood behind Garith. "He's getting tired of waiting for you, Nadrin. You need to finish this little mission of yours or we'll all be dead. I hope you haven't forgotten what he did to our people? The kind of power he possesses?"

"No…I know very well the price that we have paid for our ignorance and impudence. I will do as I have been instructed. Return to him now and tell him I will have his bounty within the next day. He can count on it."

"I hope you're right Nadrin. He is becoming increasingly impatient with your lack of progress. He is starting to believe that you are thinking of betraying him…"

"I have my orders…I will complete them…nothing more, nothing less. He may sleep in the assurance that his demands will be met."

"I can only take your word for it. For the sake of our people, I hope you are right…"

"For the sake of our people…I will do what needs to be done...now go!"

Clouds began to cover the moon as Ralboru escaped back into the darkness. Garith was left alone again upon the grassy hill. Cool air started to blow from the lake, moving the clouds that were obstructing the light of the moon. The breeze flowed past Garith and he basked in it.

"Ah…a cool wind. If only for an instant…I can know its gentle caress…"

* * *

Zelda stood at the foot of her father's throne. It was made of pure gold and beautifully crafted with the utmost care. The seat was plush and stuffed with cucco down. It was one of the most beautiful things in the entirety of the throne room. Her father sat, rather elegantly, in the large, golden chair.

"You mustn't get so upset over these things, Zelda. Mistakes are things that you can make but never undo. You, however, did not make the first mistake in dealing with the skull people. If they wish to accuse us of something, then let them throw their accusations. I never ordered an attack on their people and neither did any of our subordinates. Their anger against us is most likely the result of blazing emotions after having suffered such an immense loss. We sent you in an attempt to reason with them and that is all that we can do. It is now up to them. However, if they attempt to attack us, we shall quickly put an end to them."

"But…but father, you can't mean that you'll kill them all. That's not what you're trying to say, is it?"

"If it is necessary, I shall do what needs to be done. This is the weight upon my shoulders; this is the curse of the monarch. Someday, you too will have to carry this weight. Only then will you truly know what it is like. Idealism is wonderful in concept but…our world just does not operate on those sorts of principles…"

Zelda dropped her head and looked at her knees. "I…I can't accept that, father. As the leader of this land, it is your job to protect those that live within its borders. If the skull tribe was to attack, our people would be in danger. That is why it is necessary to stop them before they attack by trying to soothe their pain, not increase it. Attacking them would only cause more sorrow and anger and the circle of bloodshed between both would only continue and…"

"And the only thing that can stop that from happening is peace…is that what you were going to say, little princess?"

"Ah, Garudus," said Zelda's father in a polite tone. "I'm glad you were able to join us. I had been told that you were busy with something and wouldn't be able to make it."

"Ah, yes…I took care of everything before I came here. Do not trouble yourself with it, Your Majesty."

Zelda turned to see a rather large and imposing figure standing behind her. He was dark skinned, amazingly tall, thin but powerfully built. His hands were rough and caloused. He wore black armor; a chest/back plate with thigh coverings and greives, and had blood red hair. That, however, was not the strangest part about the man. His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. He looked at her and his eyes seemed to reflect her gaze back at her as if he had two mirrors mounted into the recess of his skull. Who was this man?

"Ah, yes, I don't believe that you have had the pleasure to meet my daughter, Zelda. She's just returned from a bit of a failed negotiation…"

"Father!" Zelda said in agitation.

"They say that failure leads to future success. You would do well to remember that in the future, princess."

Zelda, now annoyed with the condescending air that the man in the black armor had brought with him, stood and shot him a glare.

"And who are you to address me in such a manner? Why not introduce yourself before talking of successes or failures. How dare you address someone of royal lineage in such a way."

"And" the man said with a smile. "How dare _you_ address someone of royal lineage in such a manner without introducing _yourself_."

Zelda glanced slightly sideways at the man. "What...do you mean…"

"This man…" the king said with a sigh. "is the leader of the Gerudo people, King Garudus. He is here to discuss a peace agreement with our kingdom. There has always been uneasiness between our two peoples and we both wish to remedy this. Isn't that right, Garudus?"

"That is correct. Your wish for peace seems to have no bounds, your Majesty. You said you were attempting negotiations with someone else as well?"

"Yes…" said the king. "We were hoping to cool the tempers of the skull tribe after they suffered that terrible attack but…they just didn't want to listen…"

"Are you going to continue your negotiations?"

"I will." Zelda said. "I don't care what you think, father. I will find a way to soothe the anger of the skull tribe…somehow…"

With that, she turned her back on the two men and walked out of the palace.

* * *

Zelda awoke staring at the moon overhead. She sat upright in her small patch of grass and held her head in her hands.

"Ah…it was a dream. I had forgotten about that." She looked up at the moon with a blank expression. " I hope if my father is alright…I wonder if he's worried about me?"

Zelda stood and admired the moon above her. It seemed brighter out in the open expanse of the field than it ever did from the castle. The lack of light around her multiplied the brilliance of the glow that emanated from it. It was a true celestial beauty.

She looked in the small patch of grass around her and noticed that, while Garith was there, Link was not. Her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to go and look for him. He couldn't have gone that far away, could he? He didn't try to go to the Gerudo Desert without them, did he?

Now Zelda became worried. He was still in no condition to move that much, let alone fight. He needed more rest before he was fully healed. She frantically scanned the darkened plains around her, trying to find Link's silhouette in the dark. Just when she was about to give up, she saw a small black figure on a distant hill. She ran out into the field, hoping that the shadow in the distance was Link.

* * *

_You have to get to the Temple of Time, Link! It's safe there! The sages can protect you! I'll be alright! Just GO!_

Link shook his head, trying to rid himself of that awful dream. Was it really a dream though? How could it not have been? Nothing like that had ever happened since he returned to the past but…something wasn't right about it. It seemed far too real to be just a simple dream and what about that false Rauru? Was that just some kind of survival instinct born of hallucination from his loss of blood? None of it made any sense.

Link stood on one of the dark hills that overlooked Lake Hylia. He turned and could clearly see Hyrule Castle. In his dream, it had been burning. The whole of the castle town had been set ablaze. Everything was covered in fire or smoke and…that laugh…

"Ugh…my head hurts just thinking about it. What does it all mean?"

"Link? Are you ok? What are you doing out here, it's the middle of the night and you need to be resting."

Zelda had appeared at the bottom of the hill in front of him. Link was rather surprised that she had come to find him.

Link frowned and said "What are you doing here? You should be getting some sleep. You can't be ready for the battles to come if you don't get enough sleep."

"I could say the same thing to you. You're still injured, you know. You shouldn't be walking around like this. It's not good for you."

"I know I should be sleeping but…I just had to think some things through. That's all."

Zelda frowned. "Even so, you shouldn't be pushing yourself like this. You need to be at your best if you're going to be fighting. You know, I never even knew you could use a sword the way you did. Where did you learn?"

Link felt a bit slighted by what Zelda had said but, it did make sense. All of his sword wielding had been done during his past adventures. The only thing Zelda had ever seen Link do was deliver letters. Not even his exploits in Termina had any bearing on his life in Hyrule. She must have found his display against Breadon rather surprising.

_What should I say? It's not like she would believe me if I told her about all of the things that have happened, everything I've done. Would she believe me if I told her I learned on my own? Well, I guess I did anyway but it's not like she would believe that I've actually used a sword in so many battles before…_

"Well, I taught myself. I used to be a ranch hand over at Lon Lon Ranch before I moved to the castle town and started working for your family. I learned so that I could defend the ranch from bandits like the ones that attacked us today."

"So that's where you learned it from. You fought that bandit quite well, so I was curious. You know, with skills like that, you could have easily become a Hyrulian Knight instead of a mail runner."

"Hm, that's true but…then we wouldn't be on this fun little adventure, would we?"

Zelda walked up the hill and stood next to Link, watching the moon crawl by.

"It's so beautiful out tonight. I wish that this land could remain as peaceful as this all of the time. However, I can feel the evil…its chilling caress poisoning everything that it touches. I'm afraid of the future because I believe that it may be painted with the blood of many innocents."

"Well, that's what we're going to try to prevent. I know my main objective is to get Malon back safely but…I can't just let that man Palick do whatever he wants. I've met the Gerudo before. They may be thought of as thieves bu the outside world but they have a strong sense of honor within their clan. I don't know what they did to deserve being overtaken but…I've got to help them. I owe someone that…"

Link stared into the dark sky above him and let his mind wander back into the past, back to when his journey to save Hyrule was so daunting. It was in the Gerudo Desert that he had met Nabooru. He had helped her before and she had helped him. There was a mutual bond of trust between the two of them and, while he had no specific debt to pay, he couldn't deny his kinship with her and her clan. They were allies and they needed his help.

"Well, I'm going back." Link said with a yawn. "I need some more sleep before tomorrow. You should rest too but, I'm not going to tell you what to do. You can decide for yourself. Goodnight, Princess."

Link set off back into the dark field leaving Zelda alone on the hill by the lake. Neither knew it, but they were both thinking the same thing:

_Will I be strong enough tomorrow?_


End file.
